Freedom
by Spartan5271
Summary: The G.G.B has finally been accomplished and almost every Grimm within the States has been killed. Almost every one of them. Follow Ruby as she tries again to reach Canada, running into new faces and old alike. Meanwhile, Jaune and Coco adjust to their time in Liberteria while dealing with what they lost getting there. SEQUEL FROM ESCAPE
1. Chapter 1

_January 17th, 2041_

_10:30 PM_

President Ironwood stood at the podium, his administrators behind him and the press in front of him. Straightening his tie, Ironwood began his speech.

"Good morning, my fellow Americans. Today marks the final day of the Grimm Genocide Bill. I know that it has been a very stressful month, with dealing with the loss of loved ones to protests in the streets. But know that this needed to happen to ensure the safety of you, my fellow Americans. The remaining members of the terrorist group, The Light, are either in hiding, or they have moved north into Canada to join their forces in the Grimm settlement, known as Liberteria. And know that if we find any Grimm that are associated with the Light, we will try to find where they are."

_January 18th, 2041_

_1:23 AM_

In a pitch black room, a girl was hanging from the ceiling by her arms. She was exhausted… she was thirsty and hungry… she wanted it to be over. Hearing the door creaking open, the girl looked to the doorway to see who had come to interrogate her… but she knew already.

Fucking Agent Tyrian Callows.

His grin sent shivers down the girl's spine as she looked away.

"Good morning, Miss Rose. Shall we begin?"

She wanted to scream, to tell him to go fuck himself… but she couldn't due to the duct tape that covered her mouth.

"Not saying anything? I guess you are still asleep. Let's wake you up," Agent Callows pulled out a remote and pressed the only button on said remote.

Suddenly, Ruby felt a couple hundred amps course through her system as she could only give a muffled scream as she writhed in pain.

"It is quite rude to sleep while someone is asking you a question. I would ask if your father taught you that, but I doubt he would remember that," Agent Callows said as he let go of the button, causing the electricity to stop, "But I think that now that you are fully awake, you will be more than willing to help me find the rest of your pathetic little group."

"Mmmmmph…"

"What's that? You're gonna have to speak up," Agent Callows said as he ripped the duct tape off of Ruby's mouth.

"I… don't know… I have been telling you that for days… that I don't know…"

This seemed to annoy Agent Callows as he simply sighed and put his remote away, "Okay… here is the thing, Miss Rose. If you do not tell me something that I need to know, then I have to report that to my superior, and if she get's upset… let's just say that your second life won't be as long as the first."

Ruby lowered her head, tears in her eyes…

"Now… is there something you want to tell me," Agent Callows asked.

Ruby looked back at Agent Callows and simply said, "Go to hell…"

Agent Callows chuckled as he just pressed the button again, causing Ruby to scream in agony.

_2:34 AM_

_Jaune opened his eyes to see the cold, winter forest that haunts him every night. He could hear the gunshots that echoed around him. Looking down, he saw Coco and Velvet were dead at his feet._

_"__Jaune…"_

_Jaune slowly turned to the tree… to the tree that is burned into his mind as Ruby sat against the tree… her body white and rotting, her eyes missing, but blood seeping down her cheeks. She raised her hand towards Jaune, her skin falling off and showing her boney hand pointing at him._

_"__You… killed… me."_

Jaune shot up from his sleeping position, his breath was quick and in a small pattern, and his head was dripping with sweat. As he took in his surroundings, Jaune realized that he was in his new home. Sighing from his nightmare, Jaune looked to his bedside table and saw the time.

_2:34 AM_

'Is it really that early…' Jaune thought to himself as he got out of bed.

Hearing a knock on his bedroom door, Jaune got out of bed and approached. Opening it, he was not really surprised to see Coco was standing there, her clothing consisting of pajama pants and a big t-shirt.

"You were talking in your sleep again…" Coco yawned.

"Just another dream…" Jaune said.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"Maybe later…"

"Well… try to get some sleep. Ozpin has an announcement tomorrow and both of us are up for work tomorrow."

Jaune simply nodded and shut the wooden door. Walking back and sitting on his bed, Jaune looked over to the bedside table and reached into one of the drawers. Realizing that it was too dark to see what he was looking for, Jaune looked to the candle in a glass jar. Pinching his fingers on the wick, Jaune said, "_Ignis_", and the candle was lit and gave a small glow to the room as Jaune continued to search through the drawer until he found what he was looking for.

_For Jaune_

Jaune grabbed the note, placed it on the ground, and said, "_apparet_". Sitting back down on the bed, Jaune watched the note begin to glow as a small mist began to form into a figure. Within seconds… a translucent figure that resembled Ruby stared at Jaune.

_"__Hey Jaune. Well, I suppose that if you are reading this, then that means that I'm… well, let's just say that I am not around anymore. But, if you are reading this, then that means that you made it out, and hopefully, so did Coco and Velvet. You have no idea how badly I wanted to see Liberteria, and after all that we have been through, I wish that I could have seen it with you. But, I suppose that in a strange way, I did escape and now I am free. Just not the version that I was thinking of. I know that we had some pretty interesting times together, as well as some pretty down moments, but I am glad that I had the chance to meet you, Jaune. Deep down, I hope that you will never have to read this… cause I would rather tell you all this in person. But if you are reading this… then like I said, I wouldn't be around to say any of this."_

Tears dripped onto the wooden floor as Jaune looked up at the figure waving to him, his Grimm eyes expressing nothing but pain as he watched the figure vanish right in front of him.

"I'm sorry Ruby…" Jaune said as he placed his hand on the note again and said the same spell, causing the figure to reappear.

"_Hey Jaune_."

_2:50 AM_

Agent Callows was wiping his hands with a towel as he stared at his work as it dripped blood onto the floor.

"Well, I suppose that I shall inform my superior that you truly do not know much. Only a sadist would continue lying at this point. But… then again, maybe you are just that strong willed. I will have to think about it. Until tomorrow, Miss Rose."

Ruby watched as Agent Callows then shut the door, leaving her in the dark once more. The only noise in that room was the echo of her crying.

_3:00 AM_

On the ground floor of the federal building was a group of three soldiers and a janitor. They were discussing some lingo that sounded confusing to almost any human being as the elevator door opened up, revealing Agent Callows walking out. His suit still had a spray of blood across it as he walked up to the janitor.

"Go down to sub-level two and then proceed to cell three. I may have gotten a bit… messy," Agent Callows said as he stared down at the blood on his suit before giving a small chuckle.

The janitor gave a nod to the Agent and began to proceed to the elevator. AGent Callows looked to the group of soldiers and seemed upset.

"And what are you all doing?"

The blonde haired soldier turned to Agent Callows and apologized, "Sorry sir, we were just discussing some tales of hunting Grimm."

"Well, we are not paid for such luxuries now are we," Agent Callows said, "Escort the janitor down to the lower levels. We do not want to give the Grimm any chance."

"Yes sir," The blonde soldier saluted as he followed after the janitor, who was now waiting at the elevator.

_3:03 AM_

The elevator door opened up and the four individuals walked out of the elevator.

"You have seven minutes," The soldier whispered.

The janitor nodded and proceeded to the door alongside the blonde soldier as he placed his hand on the scanner that was connected to the wall.

"_Electricae_."

As the scanner began to malfunction, the two other soldiers aimed their weapons at the elevator, ready for anything to come through that door. Meanwhile, the janitor opened up the door to see Ruby, who was still hanging from the ceiling and crying as she stared at the group. One person caught her eye though…

"…Sun?"


	2. Chapter 2: Prison Break

**Hello there. First of all, I thank you guys for liking the story already even though I am basing this off of the top of my head. So… it might be shitty at points, but at least you guys like it, so it's paying off in some way. What I plan to do is to show Jaune and Ruby chapters separately and then a few chapters combining the two. Let me know what you think by leaving a review. It helps me out a lot.**

_January 18th, 2041_

_3:03 AM_

"…Sun?"

"Save you now. Talk later."

"What," Ruby asked, "how did you—"

"Sorry to have to do this," Sun said as he placed his hand on Ruby's head, "_Insomnia_."

"Wai—"

But before Ruby could say another word, she was out like a light.

When it was clear that the spell went into effect, the Grimm janitor saw the monitor that connected to the mechanism that hung the young Grimm from the ceiling. Taking a broom and snapping it in half and creating a small spear, the janitor proceeded to puncture the monitor, freeing Ruby and letting her fall into Sun's arms.

"You couldn't be a bit more subtle Neo?"

The janitor, now known as Neo, could only shrug as a response as she walked back to the custodian cart and pointed at said cart.

Sun walked up to the cart and began to place Ruby down. To the naked eye, it looked as though Sun made Ruby faze through the cart, but it was actually a small rolling laundry cart in disguise thanks to a simple spell. Once Ruby was securely in the cart, Neo grabbed the handle and proceeded back to the elevator.

_3:07 AM_

The elevator doors opened and the four, secretly five, Grimm walked out as a second janitor began to approach them as he gave a confused look towards them.

"Hey, what's going on here. I thought that I was on duty this morning," the real janitor asked.

"New hire showed up before you did. You will not be needed until tomorrow," Sun said.

"Goddamnit, they could have said something to me before I drove my sorry ass here so early in the morning," The janitor said as he walked away.

Sun looked back towards the others and nodded, motioning for them to proceed forward to their next destination.

_3:10 AM_

Agent Callows walked into his superior's office and saw that she was writing down a report. Shakily, he walked up and cleared his throat, gaining his boss' attention.

"Is there something that I can help you with, Agent Callows?"

"Well, Director Salem, I just thought that you would like to know that Miss Rose has yet to reveal what she knows about Liberteria's location."

Salem stood up and approached Agent Callows, "Tyrian, you have been a valuable agent as well as a fantastic interrogator. You helped us find the safe houses of the Grimm in Maine, which dealt a massive blow to The Light. But our job with the Grimm will never be complete until we take care of the rest of those little vermin. Ironwood himself asked me to help find them, and that is why I chose you for the job. So, if you can help me find Liberteria," Salem leaned up to Agent Callows' ear, "I will be grateful."

Agent Callows was shaking at this point as he nodded and proceeded towards the door, "I shall have it to you before you know it."

"And I will be waiting right here, Tyrian," Director Salem said.

As Agent Callows began to walk back to the elevator, he heard his radio ping, 'Agent Callows, the machine operating the bindings in cell three has been destroyed.'

Agent Callows quickly ran back towards the cells… with every idea of torture in his mind.

_3:12 AM_

As Sun and the others got out of the building, they saw their destination: the vehicle they arrived in.

"Neptune, go start the car. Scarlett, watch the doors. Neo, help me get Ruby into the car."

The group did as Sun commanded, but plans always have hiccups.

"Hey, what are you doing there," Sun and Neo saw that it was an agent approaching.

"Sir, please step back. We have orders to transport this body to one of the federal dumping grounds."

"On who's authority," The agent asked.

"Agent Callows, he played with this Grimm a bit too much."

The agent stared at them for a few seconds before lowering his guard, "God damn Tyrian is always killing prisoners. Well, what site are you taking this one to? I'll take care of the paperwork for you."

'Shit,' Sun thought to himself.

"…Site…3."

"Site 3," The agent asked, "there is no site 3."

_3:13 AM_

As the elevator doors opened, Agent Callows ran out to see the scanner on the door was sparking.

"No…"

Running towards the cell, he stared in horror as his toy had vanished. Smashing his hand against the door, Agent Callows screamed at the top of his lungs as he grabbed his radio and switched to all channels.

_3:15 AM_

'All units, the Grimm prisoner has escaped. I repeat, the Grimm prisoner has escaped.'

There was a brief moment of silence between the agent and the Grimm before the agent tried to reach for his radio. But Sun was faster on the draw as he placed his hand on the agent's head and quickly said, "_Insomnia_."

The agent tried to fight the spell, but ultimately fell under its influence and fell to the ground.

"Sun, Scarlet, Neo, get your asses in the car," Neptune yelled.

The others quickly hopped into the car and Neptune quickly drove away from the building.

_3:30 AM_

Agent Callows stared at the collapsed, sleeping body of the agent that laid on the floor as Director Salem approached.

"So… she escaped?"

"She had help… a few Grimm from what the cameras show. I also have the model car and bits of the license plate, but I cannot be certain if they were fake," Agent Callows said.

Director Salem simply sighed as she began to walk away, much to Agent Callows' dismay, "B-But Director, do not worry, I have already assigned a BOLO for Miss Rose. I promise you, I shall return her without hesitation."

"And yet… you are still here without her or her accomplices," Director Salem said as she walked away from Agent Callows.

As he stood there, Agent Callows looked down and kicked the sleeping agent, waking him immediately, "Go get me a fucking car right now."

_3:45 AM_

As Ruby head rested on Neo's lap, Sun took the time to use the healing spell on Ruby's wounds.

"How is she," the driver asked.

"She's got a lot of bruising, some broken ribs, and cuts all around her body. I'd say physically, she will be better in a few hours. Mentally? I don't know…"

"Where are we going now?"

"The hideout. Ruby needs some rest and we need some time to lay low. We can ditch the car there, and once Ruby is ready to go, we will pack up and leave for Liberteria."

Sun looked to Neo, who was staring out of the window with an angered look on her face.

"Hey," Sun said as he held Neo's hand, "I know how badly you wanted to go after him… you'll get him one day."

Neo simply responded my rubbing Sun's hand, acknowledging that she was listening.

'I will kill that fucker…' Neo thought to herself.

"How the hell did Tyrian not recognize Neo," The Grimm passenger asked.

"He was probably too busy trying to think of some new way to kiss that director's ass," Sun said.

Everyone in the car laughed as they continued to drive away. With a mission accomplished, but with a pissed off enemy.

**That is it for today. And again, please leave a review to let me know what you guys like about it and what you think should be worked on.**


	3. Chapter 3: Living in Liberteria (Jaune)

_January 18th, 2041_

_5:32 AM_

Should a human come across Liberteria, they would think that they traveled through time. A thick wooden wall surrounded the city that stretched high into the sky. On the wall were many small openings, and behind those openings were Grimm that were assigned as the scouts that keep an eye out for anyone and anything that passes by.

Inside of the walls, the village thrived. There were greenhouses for vegetation, a heavy stream passing through the village for fishing and gathering water. The houses that were there were made out of wood and stone, but with a spell here and there, they were more than enough to live comfortably. With those spells, they even managed to create solar powered electricity that allowed lights and movies. It was almost perfect. In one of those houses, Coco was pouring a cup of coffee when she saw Jaune walking out.

"Hey there…" Coco said as she offered a cup to Jaune.

"Thanks," Jaune said as he took the cup, "What do we have today?"

"You have wall inspection and repairs while I have harvesting in one of the greenhouses."

"Great," Jaune said as he proceeded to the door.

"Jaune."

"Yeah?"

"I miss them too… but you are hurting yourself by listening to that letter over and over again."

Jaune stood there for a few moments before proceeding out towards his station as Coco just sighed and drank her coffee.

_5:43 AM_

Jaune made it to the entryway of the village to see another Grimm was waiting for him. She had some winter gear on, but the fire red hair was a clear give away to Jaune of who it was.

"Hey Pyrrha," Jaune said as he walked up to Pyrrha.

In 2036, Pyrrha went on a school trip to Japan for her language class. During her time there, she discovered her abilities when she was reading an old gaming catalogue with a character with the latin term for water. Being a safe haven for Grimm, Pyrrha left a note on her bed and left with her bags and that book. With Japan being a safe haven for Grimm, it was easy to find The Light and they transported her to Liberteria.

"Oh hello Jaune, how are you today?"

"I'm a little bit tired," Jaune said.

"Well that is disappointing. Did you have bad dreams?"

"Yeah… something like that," Jaune said.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"Not really…"

"I see, well in any case, this job shouldn't take too long so if you want to start early…"

"Sure."

Pyrrha nodded and waved to the scouts, "Heading out for inspections."

The two waited a few moments as the front gate was opened and the two proceeded out to inspect the wall.

_6:01 AM_

Coco walked into the greenhouse to see her fellow workers were already at it, but she had one disadvantage… they were using magic to constantly grow, pick, and repeat.

But that didn't stop Coco from walking to an available spot and started working.

"Sup Adel," the man beside her asked.

"Hey Flynt, what's Kat up to?"

"Right here," Kat smiled as she leaned into view of Coco.

Kat Nancy was a DJ in Oregon, naming herself Nyan Cat. She was on her way home when she was attacked by a mugger when she used the air spell and sent him head first into a wall, snapping his neck and killing him instantly. She then made it to Montana's faction of The Light and got across.

Flynt Coal was one of the prisoners of the Montana Institution that escaped when The Light attacked it. He met Kat in the same hideout and they have been together ever since.

"So, how are you and Jaune doing," Kat asked as she finished picking some tomatoes, "_tiempo de avance_."

Coco watched as the tomato bush slowly began to regrow tomatoes before there was a new cluster of tomatoes to pick. Meanwhile Coco had just pulled out a cluster of potatoes from the ground.

"Oh you know, we are getting through…"

"Well, you know that we're always willing to lend a hand if you need help."

Coco nodded as she pulled another cluster of potatoes out of the ground.

_6:15 AM_

Jaune hopped up a small slope and offered a hand to Pyrrha, who gladly took it.

"You think there is gonna be a lot of damage?"

"Maybe, that storm was pretty bad," Jaune said plainly.

As they turned around the corner towards the west side of the wall, they saw that there was quite a bit of damage was made to the wall.

"Would you like to do the honors," Pyrrha asked.

"No… you can do it," Jaune said, "I'll keep an eye out for anything."

"Alright," Pyrrha said as she walked up to the wall and began to use the spell on the wall, "_Daño inverso_."

As Jaune faced the wilderness, not watching as the wall was being fixed in one sitting, Pyrrha continued to have a conversation.

"You know, this reminds me of a time when I was part of a volunteer group during middle school. We were assigned to help with building desks for a charter school that didn't have enough to afford more desks. The students also helped out and got to paint their desks whatever they wanted. Cool, right?"

Jaune simply turned and nodded, "It is cool."

"What would you have drawn on your desk, if you could?"

Jaune turned to Pyrrha and shrugged, "I guess… I don't know, a cool dragon?"

Pyrrha chuckled, "A dragon?"

"Yeah, with fire shooting out of its mouth."

Pyrrha chuckled as she lowered her hands and the two stared at the now repaired wall, "Looks good right?"

"Yeah, it does… come on, I'll take the next one."

_8:12 AM_

Coco sighed as she finished her final pickings of the blueberries and began to carry her crate towards the kitchen area that was connected to the greenhouse.

"See you guys next shift," Coco said.

"See you Coco," Flynt said.

Coco proceeded into the kitchen and began to store the blueberries in the fridge. As she was stacking the food up, she heard one of the doors open and saw Hazel walking towards her with a a basket of fish around his shoulder.

"Miss Adel, how are you?"

"Getting through the day," Coco said.

Hazel chuckled, "I know that feeling. I managed to catch some amazing rainbow trout in the nearby lake, so it looks like Emerald will be able to make some of those delicious fillets again."

"Sounds good," Coco said.

"Is something wrong?"

Coco turned to look at Hazel, "It's just Jaune… he was up for hours listening to that letter Ruby left him and I am getting worried."

Hazel walked up and placed his hand on Coco's shoulder, "People have different ways of dealing with their loss. Some are stronger than others, but that does not make them weak. You just need to continue to be there for him."

Coco nodded, "Thanks, Hazel."

"Well, I would help you more, but Ozpin has asked for the council to go to a meeting. I am sure it is to discuss what our plans shall be for this year. Take care."

_8:48 AM_

Jaune was wheezing as he finally finished the spell while Pyrrha was sitting on the ground, exhausted as well… hours of walking around the wall and fixing every bit of damage took a lot of energy for both stamina and spells… but they finally got it done.

"And done…" Jaune said as he sat down in the snow, facing Pyrrha.

"Hey Jaune… can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it true that you stole a train getting here?"

"Why do people always ask me that," Jaune sighed, "yes, I stole a train."

"How?"

"Well…"

A familiar Grimm poked their head out from one of the openings in the wall, "Hey guys, head to the center, Ozpin has an announcement."

"Thanks Nora," Jaune said as he looked to Pyrrha, "Let's go see what is going on."

"Okay, but I am gonna be waiting for that story Jaune."

_8:54 AM_

Jaune and Pyrrha walked into the center of Liberteria as Coco walked up to them.

"Hey guys, you know what's going on," Coco asked.

"No," Jaune said.

"Hazel said that Ozpin called him and the other leaders for a meeting, maybe that has something to do with it."

As Coco finished speaking, the crowd slowly grew silent as Ozpin walked into the center with Hazel and the other leaders of Liberteria, named the Elders: Oobleck, Gwen, and David.

"Thank you for coming…" Ozpin said as he seemed unsure of what to say, "We have just received word that President Ironwood has declared the G.G.B a success… all Grimm in the Institutions and any trying to get through the tests have been killed."

Audible gasps were heard from the crowd as well as murmurs. While this was happening, Jaune and Coco looked to one another as Ozpin continued.

"Friends," Ozpin removed his glasses, "we have lost… a lot in the last couple of years… friends, family, good samaritans who have helped along the way, fellow Grimm who have scarified their own lives so that we may live. I know that many of you have only been here for a month or so, and some of you were here at the beginning. Let us signify this day as a day of remembrance for those that we lost… tonight, we shall have a fire. Everyone shall bring a piece of wood with a name of someone that you lost to signify their true freedom. We shall meet at eight o'clock."

"Fucking humans…" The trio heard as they saw a Grimm staring at Coco before walking away.

"Something tells me he doesn't like me," Coco said.

"Whatever," Jaune said as he walked away.

_9:01 PM_

As Grimm returned to the center of the village, Ozpin stood there beside a fire pit with his fellow Elders behind him.

"Greetings everyone. I am glad to see that most of you, if not all of you, have arrived for the fire. Please set your piece down here," Ozpin pointed at a fire pit that had a few pieces already in it.

Jaune and Coco stood in line, each holding their own pieces with almost similar names.

'Ruby. Velvet. Willow. Qrow.'

'Velvet. Grandma Willow. Ruby.'

When it was Jaune's turn to walk up, he did so slowly as he stared at the log, his mind flooding with the many moments during his journey with Ruby, despite how short it was. As he gently placed the log down on the pile, Jaune whispered, "Goodbye Vel… Willow… Ruby…"

As he began to walk away, he saw Coco was standing still, her eyes welling with tears.

"Coco…" Jaune said as he walked up to her.

As she placed one foot in front of the next, she whispered to Jaune, "She should be here…"

"I know… I know…" Jaune said.

When the two reached the fire pit, Coco tearfully chuckled, "She always wanted to go camping… why didn't I take her camping, Jaune…"

"It's okay, Coco," Jaune said as he gently removed the log from her hands and placed it on the pile.

Hazel took a step forward, "May the names that you wrote know that their sacrifice was not in vain. May they know that though we symbolize freedom, that they are the ones who are truly free. Free of a world in which inflicts pain, free from a world that wishes harm upon them. May they know that while they are gone, they shall never be forgotten. Family members, significant others, friends… May we one day reunite with them in that world of peace so that we may truly…_ vivamus libere_…"

"_Vivamus libere_…" The village said in unison.

"_Vivamus libere_… Ruby," Jaune said.

"_Vivamus libere_… Vel," Coco said.

Coco and Jaune held hands as Ozpin turned to the bundle of sticks and placed his hand on the top, "_Ignis_…"

The village watched as the pile suddenly became a plume of fire. Everyone stayed and watched, all sharing a similar emotion of grief in remembrance. All mourning those that they lost… but for Jaune… that was another story.


	4. Chapter 4: Catching Up (Ruby)

_January 18th, 2041_

_8:02 AM_

_Ruby opened her eyes and discovered that she was still hanging from the ceiling… and he was standing right there with a grin on his face._

_"__Shall we begin?"_

Ruby shot up from where she was, which was on a single bed. Panting and sweating, Ruby looked down to she was wearing a gown. Placing a hand on her stomach, she felt… nothing. No stinging pain from the cuts or bruises, just a slight soreness…

Looking around, Ruby realized that she was in a room…

"What…" Ruby asked as she looked around.

Hearing footprints approaching her, Ruby quickly laid down pretended to be asleep as she listened.

"You think she's awake," She heard a familiar voice. What was weird to Ruby is that she did not hear a response, but the voice continued, "Well of course I could just wake her, Neo, but that wouldn't be cool."

A other small moment of silence.

"Let's just give her a bit more time… you know what she's been through more than any of us."

There was a lingering silence before the voice spoke again, "Okay, let me know when she wakes up."

As Ruby listened to the single set of footsteps walk away from the door.

'I have to get out of here,' Ruby thought to herself.

Looking at what was near her, she saw that the window was shut, there was a lamp on the bedside table beside her, and…

'How is my bag here…' Ruby asked herself as she stared at the doorway as her bag was resting beside the door.

Thinking of what to do, Ruby extended her hand and pushed the lamp off of the table, breaking it.

"Hm," She heard someone outside.

Acting asleep, Ruby listened as the door was opened and someone began to approach her.

'No locks… good,' Ruby thought as she readied herself.

Hearing the figure kneel down to check the mess, Ruby opened her eyes to see the figure's brown and pink ponytail. Quickly placing her hand on top of the figure's head, Ruby said, "_Insomnia_."

The figure started to groan before falling down unconscious. Taking the opportunity, Ruby threw the covers off of her bed and slowly got out of bed as she was trying to move her legs for the first time in a while.

"Okay… one at a time…" Ruby said to herself as she stood up.

Taking one step at a time, Ruby managed to balance herself. Walking to her bag, Ruby put it on and tightened the straps.

'Forgot how heavy you are…' Ruby groaned as she opened the door.

Slowly looking out into the hallway, Ruby saw that she was in the clear. Walking down the hall, she heard two voices from behind a door she was passing.

"Any news?"

"No… nothing. Which means they don't want the people to know that we broke her out."

"What did Ozpin say?"

"Didn't say anything. I spoke with Gwen, and she said that we need to break contact until we make it across the border."

"Fuck… Well, the longer we stay here, the more likely it is that Callows will catch up to us."

As Ruby continued, she made it to a staircase that led to the first floor.

'If I am here… then that must mean there is a car…' Ruby thought to herself as she began to move down the stairs by using the very distant sides of the stairs.

'Easy Ruby…'

Once she made it to the bottom staircase, her legs began to act up and she leaned against the staircase.

'Come on Ruby… you can do this…'

Suddenly, Ruby heard rapid knocking on a door upstairs.

"What… what do you mean she knocked you out?"

'Shit…'

Ruby began to pick up the pace as she saw a door leading somewhere.

'Please be the garage…'

Ruby opened the door and… it was a garage, with a car.

"Oh thank god…" Ruby said.

But before she could even take a step forward, a pair of arms wrapped around her and pulled her back.

"NO," Ruby yelled.

"Ruby! It's me!"

Ruby didn't hear him and just kept shaking violently until she shook free and fell to the ground. Quickly turning to the man, who was Sun, Ruby took no time to quickly aim her hand and said, "_Aer_."

The sudden burst of air pushed Sun back a few feet, but Sun still remained on his feet.

"Ruby!"

Ruby stared at Sun and seemed to remember the events that "recently" occurred.

"Sun?"

Hearing three sets of feet coming down the stairs, Ruby looked to see three people, one of them being the pink and brown haired girl that she knocked out. The girl took a step before Sun raised his hand and shook his head.

"What's going on?"

_8:30 AM_

As Agent Callows walked into the local police department, the chief of police walked up.

"Hello Agent Callows, we have been expecting you. Your boss mentioned that there was, perhaps, a Grimm hideout here?"

"Yes, and did you search for the vehicle as she most likely asked."

"Well that is the thing, we did and the plates were showing up in Utah…"

"So they were using fake plates… typical Grimm… how about the BOLO that was sent out? Surely you did that?"

"Yes we did… we should have results within the hour."

"Uugh, this better be a short hour…"

_9:12 AM_

Ruby was sitting at the kitchen table, staring at a plate of scrambled eggs and some bacon. Looking up, Ruby saw the pouted look that the girl was giving her.

"Sorry for… you know, knocking you out…"

Neo just looked to Sun, who was cooking some more eggs as he looked over to them.

"Neo, be nice," Sun said.

Neo rolled her eyes as she extended her hand.

"Neo," Ruby said as she shook Neo's hand, "my name is Ruby."

"And here you go, Neo, slightly singed omelette. Just the way you like it," Sun said as he handed Neo a plate.

"What day is it…?"

"Today is January the eighteenth," Sun said as he walked over with a cup of coffee.

"What happened…"

"That day when you were all supposed to cross the border, what do you remember?"

"I remember crashing, and Velvet… is she?"

Sun shook his head, "There was no helping her… I'm sorry."

"Oh god Vel…"

"We made sure to bury her… don't worry about it," Sun said as he walked away from the kitchen for a few moments before coming back and placing Velvet's backpack in front of Ruby, "We managed to grab this before any of the soldiers came back…"

Ruby grabbed the bag and held it, "Thanks… I'm sure that Coco will appreciate this."

"I hate to push you, but what happened after the crash?"

"After the crash, we ran. But then a tree split the group up. I followed Pietro until he was killed… by my father."

"He was still after you?"

"Yes… but I made sure that he wasn't going to follow us anymore."

"What did you do?"

"I erased his memory of me… I don't know what happened to him afterwards. Shortly after, a Hunter appeared and Jaune took it down, but it fire blindly at us as it was destroyed."

"Is that…" Sun pointed at his stomach.

"Yes… Jaune didn't know any healing spells, and Coco couldn't do anything either… so I chose to stay instead of risking the lives of the others."

"What about Tyrian?"

"… I was about to go when he saved me… he used some strange syringe that instantly healed my wound and since then…"

"It's okay… we know. Or at least, Neo knows what it's like…"

Ruby looked to Neo, who simply continued to eat her omelette.

"What do you mean?"

"You know, you should be thanking Neo for the rescue. Had she not been one of Callow's older victims, we would have never found you."

This shocked Ruby, "You were…"

"She wasn't a member at the time, but Callows didn't care… he was just trying to kiss his boss' ass. When he finally decided to believe Neo, he made sure Neo would never say a spell again…" Sun said.

Neo opened her mouth, revealing to Ruby that her tongue had been cut out.

"He most likely would have done that to you or worse…"

Ruby looked at Neo, "Neo, I apologize for what I did… and thank you for rescuing me."

Neo simply smiled and waved her hand.

"She likes you," Sun chuckled.

"So where are we," Ruby asked.

"Maine. After what happened in the Vermont, I knew that it was no longer safe to stay here. So I had myself and the remaining members of Vermont's faction move here."

"Are we safe here?"

"It's my brother's place and he is out of town. But we were planning on leaving once you woke up. So… eat up and rehydrate, cause we will be leaving at noon."

With that, Sun got up and walked upstairs to likely discuss with the others. Meanwhile, Ruby and Neo were still eating.

"So Neo… have you ever been to Liberteria?"

Neo simply took a final bite of her omelette and walked away with her dish, leaving Ruby alone at the table… alone.

Ruby sighed as she looked at the head of the table, remembering Willow's speech and how happy everyone seemed…

"I hope you guys are doing alright…"

_9:23 AM_

Agent Callows watched the monitors as multiple cars passed by until…

"Stop. Zoom in on that car," Agent Callows said.

As the camera zoomed in to the figure looking out of the car for a brief moment, Agent Callows stared at the very familiar face… Neo's. Pointing towards her, Agent Callows looked to the man in charge of the monitors, "Follow that girl. Quickly."

Following his command, the officer in charge of the monitors followed car that Neo was in to its destination… which happened to be where the Grimm were staying.

Agent Callows stared at the address before walking towards the exit, "Get me a squadron of your best officers at that location… now!"

_9:35 AM_

Ruby stared at herself in the mirror, her top bare for the world to see as she traced the scar around her stomach… the reminder of what happened in the forest… as she continued to stare at herself, she made eye contact with the mirror and seemed almost entranced by the her eyes…

Hearing a knock on the door, Ruby quickly put on a bra and shirt before opening the door to see Sun and Neo.

"You ready?"

"I think so…" Ruby said as she stared at Velvet's bag and her bag, "So what is the plan?"

"We are going to cross through into Canada via Niagara Falls."

"But that would mean—"

"Guys! We have a problem."

"What is it, Neptune?"

Before Neptune could even respond, they all heard the familiar voice from a megaphone.

"Oh Miss Roooooooooose…"

Just hearing that voice sent shivers up Ruby's spine as her eyes widened in fear. Meanwhile, Neo gritted her teeth as she stared at the window.

"You didn't say goodbye to me. I am a little hurt. But if you come back with me, I will only punish you a little. As for the rest of you, I would also like to, shall we say, talk to you."

"Okay Neo, head down to the car with Ruby and Scarlet. Neptune, I am gonna need every speaker in this house on full blast and ready for my signal."

Neo nodded and walked away while guiding Ruby by the hand, while Neptune seemed confused, "Sun, what are you planning on doing."

Sun only responded by smirking and a single word, "Improvising."

**Hey, so I was wondering: Would you guys like me to just make a chapter following up Ruby? Or would you like to know what's going on in Liberteria with Jaune, Coco, and Pyrrha? Let me know please.**


	5. Chapter 5: Improvising

_January 18th, 2041_

_9:35 AM_

Neo and Ruby walked into the garage to see the car that Ruby tried to steal. Neo walked up and opened the back door and opened it and motioned for Ruby to get in.

"I…I can help…" Ruby said, still frightened by hearing Agent Callows.

Neo knew that she was scared, so she shook her head and motioned again for Ruby to get into the car.

_9:38 AM_

At the entrance to the suburban cul-de-sac were four cruisers, all lined up as a blockade, Agent Callows stood there with his eight officers behind him.

"Sir, what should we do?"

"I believe that we have given them enough time… move in. And I need at least one of them alive."

Agent Callows watched the officers slowly approaching the house as he tapped his ear, "I want updates as soon as you make contact."

'Yes, sir.'

Watching closely, Agent Callows watched as the officers approached the house with their weapons drawn. As they converged on the entryways, Agent Callows smirked as one officer kicked in the door.

"M.P.D," He heard the officers yell.

'Clear signs of recent activity, but kitchen is clear.'

_9:41 AM_

As Neo and Ruby stood as quietly as possible as three officers swarmed into the garage, Ruby could feel the strain that the spell was having on her. In the split second that they had to react to the officers, Ruby used the invisibility spell on both herself and Neo. If they stayed completely still, they vanished from the human eye.

"I have eyes on a vehicle in the garage," One of the officers said as he approached the vehicle and looked inside the open door, "no one appears to be in it. "

Closing the door, the officer started to walk towards Ruby's position, standing a near three inches from her, all three of them heard another officer upstairs.

"I got someone up here!"

"On our way," The officer said as he and the other officers ran towards the source of the voice.

As the officers ran out of garage, Ruby finally let go of the spell and she fell to the ground, coughing as Neo walked up and helped her up.

"We need to help the others…"

Neo shook her head and opened the door again and placed Ruby inside before shutting the door again without making too much noise. Knowing that Neo wasn't going to let her help, Ruby just sighed in defeat as she sat in the car.

_9:46 AM_

"Right on time…" Sun said as he pretending to be spacing out.

Sun was currently sitting "alone" in one of the rooms of the house when the officers kicked open the door, causing Sun to jump as the officers began to flood through the door.

'Eight locals… Tyrian must be impatient.'

"MPD! Show us your hands!"

"Whoa guys… care to explain what's going on," Sun chuckled.

"Keep your hands up, Grimm."

"Grimm?! All those freaks are dead."

"We have orders to bring in everyone in this house. So make it easy for us and tell us where they are."

"Look, buddy, I'm the only one in the house."

"Search the other areas on this floor," The supposed leading officer said.

Before any of the officers moved, Sun took a step forward, "If I may…"

The officers aimed their weapons again at Sun, who took a step back, "There are technically a few people in the house."

"Where?"

"Right here," Sun said as he pressed spacebar.

_9:41 AM_

As Agent Callows stood as the lone man in the middle of the car blockade and yards away from the house, he was waiting for what was going to happen when suddenly, he heard music blasting from both the comms as well as from the house itself.

'What is happening? I can't hear anything.'

"Well, that is an interesting approach, I will give them that," Agent Callows said.

_9:41 AM_

As soon as the music began to play, the officers suddenly began holding their ears in pain. As the officers were temporarily busy, Sun watched as both Neptune and Scarlett appeared, having deactivated their invisibility spells, behind the officers. Both Neptune and Scarlett took the small moment of time that they had to use the sleep spell on the four officers that they were closest to.

As one of the remaining officers turned to the two Grimm, their eyes widened in shock, "What the— GRIMM!"

As the officers turned to the new threat, Sun took the opportunity to run up as the confused officers composed themselves and quickly knocked out two more officers with the sleeping spell, leaving only two officers left conscious. Scarlett was quick to run up, grab one of the guns on the ground, and whacked one of the remaining officers with it, knocking him out instantly. But as Neptune reached forward, the remaining officer dodged his hand and delivered a swift jab to Neptune's rib, causing him to fall to the floor.

Having an opening, the officer pulled out her pistol and aimed it at the remaining Grimm.

"Stay where you are," She yelled, "And turn off the music".

But before anyone even had a chance to move, a pair of arms quickly wrapped around the female officer in a choke hold. Trying to break free, the officer tried to deliver some elbow jabs, but was missing every time. When she turned around, slowly losing consciousness, Sun and the others saw that it was Neo who was the one choking her out until she fell into unconsciousness.

Looking to the computer, Sun walked up and paused the music as they stared at their work.

"Well, that went better than I expected," Sun said as he rubbed his ears, "Let's go."

Scarlett helped Neptune up as the three of them walked towards the car. But as Neo began to walk back to the car, she saw something on the ground that piqued her interest.

"By the sudden silence, I assume that either those are my guys or you…" Neo heard Tyrian ask.

_9:55 AM_

'Agent Callows, I am reading that all of our officers are unconscious.'

"You want something done… do it yourself," Agent Callows sighed as he tossed the megaphone to the side and began to walk towards the house.

_9:56 AM_

As Sun and the others started getting into the car, he turned to see Neo wasn't behind them.

"Where the hell is Neo," Sun asked.

"Sun… look," Neptune groaned as he pointed out of the garage window.

Walking up and looking out towards the street… Sun saw what Neptune was pointing at.

Agent Callows was slowly approaching, but stopped halfway when as both he and Sun saw a figure walking towards him.

"NEO!"

_9:57 AM_

Neo stared at the person who tortured her with anger in her eyes as she had two retractile police batons in her hands.

"Well now… what do we have here?"

Neo simply continued staring at Agent Callows…

"What… cat got your tongue? Oh sorry… too soon," Agent Callows chuckled.

Neo gritted her teeth as she charged at Agent Callows.

_10:01 AM_

"We have to go now," Scarlett said.

While Sun opened the garage door and Scarlett started the car, Neptune got out of the car and faced the blockade.

"_Ferro et flexilis_."

Ruby watched as every vein on Neptune's neck strained as he slowly pushed his hands outward. Looking towards the fight, Ruby was shocked to see the police cruiser blockade was opening up.

Neo ran up to Agent Callows, who stayed perfectly still until she was a few feet away. As she came within range, Callows delivered a kick towards her, but Neo jumped to the side and whacked Callows in the hip staggering him. Jumping behind him, she kicked the bend in his knee, knocking him down to his knees, before jumping back in front. But before she could hit him again, Callows grabbed hold of Neo's arm and applied enough pressure that her hand let go of the baton. Still holding her by the arm, Callows then delivered a headbutt that staggered Neo and caused her to fall down.

But that did not stop her as she quickly composed herself and rolled back onto her feet and ran at her enemy. But he was ready for her this time…

As it seemed that Callows was performing the same move as before, he smirked as Neo fell for his attack and as she jumped to the side, Callows threw a right handed hook to Neo's cheek, sending her back to the ground.

"You know… you were always the fighter, Neo. Even when they found you, you were a fighter."

Neo jumped up and growled as she ran at him. She swung, but he dodged, and dodged, and dodged again.

"She isn't thinking…" Scarlett said.

Neptune released the spell and saw the opening as he ran back into the car, "We have our opening!"

"We have to help her," Ruby said.

Neo was knocked back down, losing the other baton in the process…

"You are ferocious, I will give you that. But you are not thinking… you are relying on instinct. And that does not work," Agent Callows said as he picked up one of the batons.

Seeing how no one was acting first, Ruby opened her door and aimed her hand at Agent Callow, "_Sanguis_!"

Agent Callows lifted his arm to hit Neo with the baton when his facial expression turned what little skin he was showing, the veins on began pulsating as his eyes started turning bloodshot, spit collecting in his mouth as he gritted his teeth and stared at his opponent. Neo, wounded but alive, slowly stood up to look towards the other Grimm.

"Ruby, stop," Sun said as he placed his hand on Ruby's arm.

"He…"

"He's beaten Ruby," Sun said.

As Ruby stared at the man whose life balanced in her hand, she had multiple images of what he did to her play in her mind. As the memories became more vivid, she heard a voice in the back of her head.

'He…deserves to die. I need to kill him for what he did…'

Tears in her eyes, Ruby looked down in shame as she let him go. Neo watched as Agent Callows fell to the ground, spitting out blood and gasping for air as he slowly looked up at Neo. Neo reached down and grabbed one of the batons that laid on the floor and stared at Agent Callows before she shook her head and placed the deconstructed baton in between her jeans and hip. Neo then spit towards the ground next to Agent Callows before running back to the car.

Hopping in, Sun said to Scarlett, "Floor it."

Agent Callows slowly began to get up after regaining his breath and stared at the car as it drove towards him. Quickly pulling out his pistol, he fired multiple shots at the car, with only one managing to hit the exterior before he had to jump out of the way. As he watched the car drive through the barrier, he simply sat there…

Spitting out a loogie of blood, Agent Callows started chuckling.

"Let's see where you are off to…" he said as he stared in the direction that the car went.

_10:30 AM_

As Scarlett continued driving, Neptune was healing his wound while Sun was healing Neo's. Neo looked to Ruby, who was staring at her hands.

Reaching forward, Neo held the hand closest to her, and Ruby looked towards her with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry…" Ruby said.

"It's okay Ruby," Sun said as he continued healing Neo's wounds, "just… try to keep from using that spell. Okay?"

Ruby just looked at the mirror and saw her Grimm eyes in the reflection of the glass…

As Sun saw Ruby staring out of the wind, he looked to Scarlett, "You guys okay?"

"A little beaten up, but I'm okay," Neptune said.

"Where are we off to?"

"New York."

**So it looks like Tyrian is not as upset about losing the Grimm, Ruby seems ashamed by what she did, and Neo seems to seek vengeance for what Tyrian did to her. Let me know what you thought and please keep reading. Look forward to a Jaune chapter most likely.**


	6. Chapter 6: Hunting

_January 19th, 2041_

_9:39 AM_

Where most communities eat in their homes, Liberteria had a sort of tavern styled mess hall where Grimm and humans can eat and drink and socialize. But for some, that was not that much of a luxury. At one of the tables, Jaune sat and stared at his bowl of porridge. Hearing someone talking across from him, he looked up and saw Ruby was eating her food with a smile on her face.

"What," Ruby asked, a smile on her face.

"Huh," Jaune asked.

"I asked what are you looking at," Jaune's vision vanished and in Ruby's place was Coco.

"Sorry… I guess I just spaced out… again."

"Well, I was asking what is your job today," Coco asked as she took another bite of her food.

"I have hunting today, and I need a partner to come with."

"Why not Pyrrha?"

"I don't know…"

Coco looked at Jaune and sighed, "Jaune, you and I have lived together for a couple months now, so I feel as though it's time I deliver my honest opinion. You can't just lock everyone away because of a girl you knew for a week."

"…" Jaune hated that idea… but deep down, he felt that Coco was right.

"Just ask if she wants to go hunting with you."

"…Okay, fine. What about you?"

"I am just doing the same job as always."

_10:11 AM_

Jaune was standing outside of the door to Pyrrha's house and knocked. After waiting a few moments, Pyrrha opened the door in her pajamas, which was a full pajama suit.

"Jaune? What are you doing here?"

"I have been assigned to go hunting and need a partner, and well… I did enjoy talking to you yesterday. Would you like to come with?"

"Sure, let me just get dressed. I'll meet you at the gate in ten."

"Okay," Jaune said as he walked away as Pyrrha continued watching him leave before going to get dressed.

_10:21 AM_

Jaune was waiting at the gate with two bows and two quivers full of arrows when he heard Pyrrha's voice approaching behind him.

"Hey Jaune."

Jaune stood up and faced Pyrrha, "Hey."

"Looks like you are all set," Pyrrha smiled as Jaune handed her a bow and quiver.

"Thanks," Pyrrha said as she wrapped the quiver around her back, "You ready?"

Jaune nodded as he looked up at the lookouts, "Heading out!"

The gate opened and the two walked out to go hunting.

_11:00 AM_

Elder Ozpin sat at the table of the council and faced his fellow Elders, "Thank you all for coming today. I know that recent news has been, shall we say, troubling and heartbreaking, which is why I decided to have this meeting. We currently have over 20,000 Grimm and humans who are living here in Liberteria. I wish to know what the status is on our last evacuations from the US."

"I began evacuations starting three weeks before the G.G.B, so all of our factions on the West side have fully evacuated. Any Grimm that are left there will have to find their way on their own…" Elder David said.

"Sadly, the Southwest was not as careful. From what I heard, they took heavy casualties… but we managed to save about fifty-seven or so. It isn't a lot, but they are more than nothing." Elder Gwen said.

"It has been a few weeks since I have heard from any of my informants in the Southeast. I am afraid that we will have to fear the worst," Oobleck said.

"The Midwest did not fare the same either, I am afraid. We managed to evacuate most of the upper regions, but it appears that the authorities were a step ahead of us and the last few transports were ambushed… what about you Hazel?"

As Ozpin and the others looked to Hazel, he was staring at a piece of paper that had his attention.

"Elder Hazel."

This seemed to catch Hazel's attention as he turned to the other Elders, "My apologies…"

"How was the evacuation of the Northeast?"

"Well, the evacuations were almost a success… but the last few transports suffered major losses."

Ozpin noticed the look of concern in Hazel's eyes and decided to address it, "You seem troubled."

Hazel handed the paper to the Elder next to him. Being Elder Oobleck, Oobleck read the paper out loud.

"The sun shall rise on a quiet day. The scarlet rose blossoms through the winter forest. The sky was as blue as neptune as it reflects off of the legendary fall. What is this?"

"I received this message late last night from an abandoned hideout in Maine by my last informant in the states, Sun WuKong."

"What does the message mean?"

"WuKong tends to use his first name as the code itself, referring to himself as the sun in the sky. As for the other codes, I—"

The council heard their door being opened and stopped their conversation to look and see Coco walking up to them.

"Ah Miss Adel, how can we help you?"

"I am requesting the Trials of Grimm."

_11:34 AM_

Jaune was staring at a slightly old, but recent print in the snow as Pyrrha was talking about a story of her time in Liberteria.

"So then, this guy tried to use a spell to send tree sap in my direction, but he messed up and sent the sap at himself. As punishment, Elder Gwen said that no one was to heal his wounds and that he had to let them go down the human way. Had to actually go to see her every day to make sure."

"Funny… Looks like it went this way," Jaune pointed in the direction of the print.

"What is it?"

"Might be a deer or two," Jaune said as he began walking.

"I still don't understand why Liberteria doesn't just go into one of the cities and offer trade for services."

"Well, I would assume that the Elders don't trust humans for the moment. With everything that is going on, alongside that message the Council sent to President Ironwood, I wouldn't be surprised if we don't come into contact with humans for a while."

"Don't you live with a human?"

"Coco is different…"

"Different how?"

"Well…" Jaune said as he turned to Pyrrha, "We arrived in Vermont together and crossed the border together. We also lost some close friends getting here…"

"I'm sorry if I—"

"Shh! Look," Jaune pointed.

Pyrrha looked in the direction that Jaune pointed at and saw a small group of deer.

"Bingo."

_11:24 AM_

The room was silent as the Elders stared at the human in their presence with a sense of confusion.

"Miss Adel, did I hear you correctly," Elder Oobleck asked.

"Yes."

"Why do you wish for the Trials? They have been done in years."

"That is because there hasn't been a human in Liberteria for years."

"Coco, think about what you are—"

Ozpin raised his hand and silenced Hazel, "If she didn't know the cost of this then she would not have come. Tell me, Miss Adel, why you wish for the Trials."

Coco walked up and pulled out a piece of paper and placed it in front of Ozpin. The Elder picked up the paper and opened it.

"Who gave you this?"

"Does it even matter?"

"What does it say," Elder David asked.

Ozpin turned the paper to reveal the paper said, 'HUMAN BITCH'

"I see… It must have been from yesterday's announcement," Elder David said, "But this is dangerous."

"Miss Adel, while the Elders do have biased opinions, Elder David is correct. There is no coming back and the cost—"

"I know… I know what the cost is… but this is my only option."

Ozpin stared at Coco and nodded, "Please leave while we discuss."

Coco nodded and walked out of the room.

"We cannot really be suggesting this," Gwen said.

"The last time we held a Trial, the human—"

"You need not remind us of what happened to them, Elder Hazel," Ozpin said, "regardless, the girl is the only human here in Liberteria. If we decline her request, then more of these papers will appear."

"And if she is attacked by one of us, what will she do," Elder David said.

"Why do we not hear from the Elder who became a Grimm?"

The Council turned to Oobleck, "Elder Oobleck?"

"…I was part of the Trials, this is true. I know the risk that I took could have taken my life… but I knew that it was better than what options were left."

"This is ridiculous…"

"I suggest that we vote on the matter," Hazel said.

"I agree. All those in favor of the Trials, raise your hand."

David, Oobleck, Ozpin, and Hazel raised their hands, while Gwen just looked away.

"It has been decided. Let us end here to go prepare and see to our other duties. Elder Hazel, please inform Miss Adel of our decision."

As they began to leave, Hazel and Gwen walked out of the Council room and towards Coco, who was staring up into the sky.

"Miss Adel."

Coco turned to the two Elders, waiting for their answer.

"We held a vote. You will participate in the Trials."

Coco nodded, but saw the look in Gwen's eyes as she began speaking.

"I hope you know what you are doing, kid."

"This is the only way…"

_11:40 AM_

"Just a bit more…" Jaune whispered as he waited for the biggest deer to get into view.

Just as Jaune was about to loosen his grip on the string, a loud noise was heard behind him. This caused Jaune to lose his focus and the deer suddenly scattered into multiple directions.

"Shit. Pyrrha, what was that? They ran off."

But when he turned, Pyrrha was right next to him, "That wasn't me."

"Well, if it wasn't you, then who was it?"

Before either could say another word, they both heard the source of the noise.

A loud roar echoed through the forest as they turned to see a black bear.

"Fuck…"

"Run!"

The two ran as fast as they could as the bear gave chase.

"Split up!"

When the two reached a small cluster of trees, they split off into different directions. As he turned to look back, Jaune saw that the bear turned and chased Pyrrha.

"Crap."

_11:42 AM_

Pyrrha was running as if the devil was behind her, and in a way it was.

'Where the hell did Jaune go,' She thought to herself.

As she turned around another cluster she quickly turned and aimed her hand at the bear, "_AER_!"

The bear's weight managed to keep it still, and now it was angry and closer than ever. Swiping its paw, the bear hit Pyrrha's shoulder as she turned to run.

"JAUNE," Pyrrha yelled as she ran.

Seeing no other option other than 'Buy time', Pyrrha decided to try and improvise.

_11:44 AM_

Jaune ran in the direction of the bear and Pyrrha and heard her yell his name, which meant that it was bad. As he turned the corner, he saw the blood on the snow and the trail continuing. Running in the direction of the trail, Jaune saw the bear was trying to climb a tree.

"Jaune!"

Hearing a voice from the tree, Jaune knew that it was Pyrrha, and knew that bears are quite good at climbing trees, so he had to act quickly.

"Hey you furry piece of shit, over here," Jaune said as he rolled up a ball of snow and threw it at the bear.

Making contact with the bear's fur, the bear stared in his direction with a look of anger.

"Fuck."

He had to act quick, because that bear was now charging at him. And then… he thought of it. Quickly extending his hand, he yelled, "_Tempus tincidunt_."

The bear was now only a few feet from him and within pouncing distance before it slowed and came to a stop.

"Pyrrha… little help…"

Pyrrha saw the spell and was amazed by it, but knew she needed to act quickly. So, she hopped down and ran up to the bear and placed her hand on the bear's head, "_Insomnia_."

Feeling the tension in the bear's body soften, Pyrrha and Jaune released their spells and the black bear collapsed to the ground, asleep.

"Agh…" Pyrrha said as she held her arm.

"You okay?"

"Nothing that a spell couldn't fix," Pyrrha said as she began to use the healing spell on her arm, "Where'd you learn that spell?"

"When I was leaving Vermont with Hazel, he used the spell on a group of soldiers that were about to open fire."

"Oh my god…"

"Yeah, it takes a lot of energy…" Jaune said as he looked towards the bear, "Well? What are we gonna do about this guy?"

"Probably woke up early, which is weird because the bears around here don't wake for another week or two…" Pyrrha said.

"What should we do?"

"Let's head home… we can warn them about Ol' Ursa here."

"Ursa?"

"Oh… yeah, that was the name of my dog. He was a brown lab and huge like a bear, so we named him Ursa."

Jaune stared at the bear for a moment before giving a small chuckle, "Ursa… funny."

Pyrrha smiled at Jaune's emotions coming back. Lifting her hand from her shoulder, she saw that the wound was healed.

"Come on, let's go back."

_January 19th, 2041_

_10:23 PM_

Ruby and the others were on foot, walking down a familiar path to Ruby.

"Ruby, are you sure about this," Sun asked.

"We don't have a choice."

Ruby raised her hand and pounded on the door. Seeing the light come on, the five were surprised to see the sudden gun that was pointed at their face when they heard a sudden gasp.

"R-Ruby?"

"Hey… Raven."


	7. Chapter 7: Home (Ruby)

_January 19th, 2041_

_8:12 PM_

_Ruby opened her eyes and she saw that she was floating in a void. Trying to take a step, she only spun around with no control._

_"__Oh god… I'm gonna puke…" Ruby groaned._

_But as she continued to spin, she suddenly came to a stop as snow began to fall and cover the void in a layer of snow and forming a landscape before Ruby's eyes. From the snow covered ground, trees shot high into the air as the scenery slowly transformed into a forest that seemed familiar._

_As she continued to stare at the scenery, she heard a noise behind her. Turning to face the noise, she saw that it was Tyrian. Blood spitting from his mouth as he clenched hard onto his stomach, which was oozing with blood._

_"__I told you… I told you it was gonna end this way… you pathetic little bitch."_

_Before Ruby could react to his comment, she saw a figure walk up to Tyrian, extend their hand and say, "Sanguis…"_

_With that, the blood from Tyrian's body drained from his body, his screams echoing throughout the mental forest. Within seconds, Tyrian was dead._

_Ruby took a step back when she stepped on a twig. The figure turned to face her, and Ruby was face to face with… herself._

_It was Ruby, but her eyes, while Grimm had a look of rage and fury as Tyrian's blood wrapped around her palm. The doppelgänger screamed as it sent the spell at her, but then it all went dark._

Ruby shot awake in a panic. Looking around, she saw that she was still in the car. Sun was awake and still driving, while Scarlett and Neptune were asleep. Looking towards Neo, she saw that the mute noticed that she was awake.

"Where are we?"

"We're entering New York now… managed to lose the authorities for now, but it's only a matter of time."

"What are you thinking?"

"Right now, I am thinking that we are currently up shit creek without a boat or a paddle. We have no safe houses to sleep in, our engine is running on fumes from Agent Callows, we are almost out of gas, and we are all exhausted…"

"Is there really nowhere to go," Ruby asked.

Neo shook her head as she continued to stare out into the dark skies.

Ruby thought for a moment when something… risky, came to her.

"I have an idea."

_10:23 PM_

After hours of walking, the group was almost at the destination.

"Where the hell are we going," Neptune asked.

"Just trust me, okay," Ruby asked as they turned the corner.

As the proceeded, Ruby could hear Neptune and Scarlett whispering to one another.

"Why the hell are we even listening to this kid?"

"Don't even know why we risked going after her… had it been my choice, I would have just left her ass here."

Ruby felt something in her, it was small, but she knew it was there.

"Here we are," Ruby said.

While the others were unfamiliar with it, Ruby felt pain in her heart to stare at her home. It felt like yesterday that she left it… and so much pain has come to her since then…

"O…Okay…"

"What's wrong," Sun asked.

"I just hope that this works," Ruby nervously chuckled as she walked up to the door.

"Ruby, are you sure about this," Sun asked.

"We don't have a choice."

'Dear God, please…'

Ruby placed her fist against the door and knocked three times.

Silence was her response…

She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she did hear Sun say, "Shut up… it's late… Ruby, try again."

This time, Ruby raised her hand and pounded on the door consistently. This time, however, they saw the front light turn on.

"Well, at least that is an improvement."

As Ruby turned to look at Sun, she heard the door unlock and open. But as she looked back to the front door, she almost yelped at the sudden gun that was pointed at her face.

"Ah! Raven, it's me!"

The older woman gasped as she stared at Ruby, realizing that it was her…

"Ruby?"

"Hey… Raven."

As Raven stared at Ruby, her emotion went from a sense of happiness to a sense of anger, "You shouldn't be here…"

"This isn't starting off well…"

"Raven, we just need a place for the night. Please…"

Raven stared at the girl for a few moments, a range of emotions washing over her with the hundreds of questions that she had.

Raven sighed as she lowered her gun and stepped to the side, signaling that the Grimm were allowed inside.

"Let's go," Sun said as they all walked in.

As the others walked in, Raven holstered her pistol and pulled Ruby in for a hug.

"When they announced the Bill, I was so scared…"

Ruby simply returned the hug and sighed in relief, "It's been quite the journey…"

The two broke the hug and walked in to join the others.

"Well… I would say it's just how I remember it," Ruby said as she stared at the entryway of her home, "But it has only been two months…"

But that is when Ruby realized something.

"Where's dad?"

Raven's small smile vanished into the look of sadness as she stared back towards his room, "When he came home, he seemed like he had amnesia."

"He was asking for mom… wasn't he?"

"Yes, how did…"

Sun and the others, standing in this awkwardness, decided to back away slowly to give the two some space to discuss their private affairs.

"I was trying to help him."

"Well, your help did not have the results that you were hoping for."

"He was hurting, Raven, you must have seen it."

"OF COURSE I…" Raven realized that she shouted and composed herself, "I don't know where you have been, but what you did only hurt your father more than help him. You weren't there when I had to tell him that his wife had died, you weren't there when I told him that he was chasing his daughter because of what she is, you weren't there when I told him that his brother in law was sentenced to three years for what he did and that he locked his own brother away."

Ruby's eyes narrowed as she snapped, "You have no idea what kind of hell I have been through Raven. The things that have happened to me…" Ruby's eyes began to tear up, but Ruby composed herself as she continued, "Don't tell me that I don't know what I have done. I have paid… in ways you can't even imagine."

Raven placed a hand over her stomach and sighed, "I can't do this now… you can speak with Tai in the morning. Wait here while I get some sleeping material for you and the others…"

As Raven walked away, Ruby just walked over to the others with multiple thoughts in her mind. Walking up next to the window in the living room, Ruby stared out towards the sidewalk and had a memory of her and her father when she was learning to ride the bike for the first time.

_"__You got it Ruby," Dad said, a smile on his face as I was finally able to ride the bike for the first time on my own._

_"__Mommy look," I was so happy… you should have seen the smile on my face._

_"__You're doing great, honey," Mom was still alive, and she was proud of me… what would she think of me now?_

As Ruby stared out of the window, Sun walked up and slumped against the other side of the window.

"Are we safe here," Sun asked.

"If she was gonna turn us in, we would be in cuffs before we entered the house…"

"Good. If we can just rest until early morning, I'll go out and look for a car. If we can do that without drawing too much attention, we can slip out before daybreak and get to the Falls within a few days."

Before either could say another word, they heard Raven coming back with pillows and blankets in her arms.

"Ruby, I hope that you don't mind…"

Ruby looked closer and saw that it was her other bedding.

"Yeah… it's fine," Ruby said.

"I better go help them set up," Sun said as he walked away.

As Ruby watched the others set up camp for the night, she looked to Raven and saw her looking down at her stomach before looking at her. Giving a final nod goodnight, Raven walked away.

Ruby looked back out into the street with a single thought in her mind.

'I should have died that day…'

_January 20th, 2041_

_12:13 AM_

"Ma'am please, I promise that they could not have gotten far. We just need to search every safe house—"

"We have checked every known safe house already. Nothing that isn't burned to the ground. As for the vehicle, no one has seen it. Either they hid it well, or Agent Callows isn't as great a shot as he thinks."

Agent Callows clenched his fists as he stared at his fellow Agent, Washington, but all things stopped when Director Salem spoke.

"Agent Callows is yet to show any sign of failure. He did manage to find the safe house in Maine, which you seemed to miss, Agent Washington."

"It was a mistake I do not intend to make again, ma'am," Agent Washington said.

"I should hope not," Director Salem said.

"What are we going to do?"

"I need you all to find where they went, and fast. Especially after this," Director Salem said as she turned on the TV in her office.

'Today marks one of the most eventful days in history. Hours after announcing the end of the G.G.B, the bill that resulted in the execution of over seventy thousand Grimm, the leaders of Liberteria, who refer to themselves as the Elders, sent this recording.'

_'__We offered you peace, Ironwood. Peace and ensured prosperity. But after this bill… that peace has all but been destroyed. You do not wish for us, and so we shall not return. To any Grimm who are left… Liberteria will be waiting for you and we shall bring you in with open arms.'_

'We asked for Senator Robyn's opinion on the recording, but we were unable to—'

Director Salem turned off the TV and looked back to her agents, "If that group makes it, then we lose our last solid lead to Liberteria. Agent Washington, I want you to go to the hideout in Vermont, see if they have any clues. Agent Callows, go to New York to try and find out if they are hiding there."

"Yes ma'am," The two agents said.

"And Callows," Director Salem asked.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Bring Agent Maine with you."

Agent Callows chuckled, "With pleasure."


	8. Chapter 8: Pasts Unearthed (Ruby)

_January 20th, 2040_

_1:21 AM_

_Ruby was having the same dream that she has been having since during her times with Agent Callows. She stood in that forest, and Agent Callows was on the ground in front of me. She looked down and saw bodies all around her. Bodies that were in uniform… soldiers that had tried to kill her. But some of the bodies were in normal clothing. As she stared down at the bodies, Ruby saw one of them… one that she recognized._

_"__Coco," Ruby yelled as she kneeled down to help her companion._

_But as Ruby looked at what she could do to help… she saw that something was wrong. Coco had no wounds on her body yet Ruby could tell just by the paleness and expression on her face that she was dying. But as Coco looked at Ruby, her eyes widened in fear._

_"__No…"_

_Before Ruby could respond to that comment, she watched as a rush of air left Coco's body. Looking to where the air went, Ruby saw that it was sucked out by her doppelgänger, and now Coco was forced to choke to death._

_"__What are you doing," Ruby asked._

_"__Leave her… as she left us."_

_"__Please help her," Ruby said with tears in her eyes._

_The doppelgänger looked at Ruby as she tried to help her friend and dryly asked, "Why?"_

_"__Please…"_

_"__She left us to die that day. Look around at all the people that left us that day… AER!"_

_The doppelgänger forced the snow around them to fly away like dust as the bodies all flipped over, revealing their faces._

_Jaune, Sun, Hazel, Nora, Ren, Taiyang, Qrow, Raven, and hundreds of other faces._

_"__No…"_

_"All of them left you behind. They did not care for what you were. You were only a nuisance to them all."_

_"Stop it… please…"_

_"If you continue on this path, you will only find death once more…"_

_1:21 AM_

"Stop it," Ruby gasped as she shot awake.

Ruby woke from her horrid dream to see that she was back in her home. Looking around, she saw that she was in the living room. Its walls were still that yellow color she hated as a child, the furniture was rearranged for the group of Grimm, and everyone was asleep… mostly everyone.

Neptune was awake and staring out of the open sliver of the curtain, keeping watch for any authorities.

"You were talking in your sleep," Neptune said.

"I hope that I didn't wake you," Ruby said.

"Nope," Neptune said plainly.

Ruby got up and gently walked over to Neptune to avoid waking the others.

"So… what do you think about Sun's plan?"

"I don't know what gave you the impression that I wanted to talk," Neptune said.

Even the world's dumbest man could tell that Neptune hated Ruby… and she knew it.

"Look, I know that you don't like me. I don't know why and I may never know why. I didn't ask to come back," Ruby said, "but I am here, regardless, and I am going to help as much as I can."

"Hmph… guess I will have to see that for myself," Neptune said.

"You know what," Ruby asked as she turned to him, "I don't have to prove anything to you, or Neptune, for that matter. I saw Neo was in trouble and I saved her, I told the only people I called my friends to leave me so that the authorities wouldn't catch up and kill them, and then I was brought back only to be tortured."

"Well, if it would have been up to me," Neptune looked directly at Ruby, "I would have left you behind."

Ruby clenched her fists as anger slowly took over.

"You better get some sleep. We have a long ride ahead of us…"

Ruby walked away from Neptune as he continued to keep watch and rest.

_January 20th, 2040_

9_:21 AM_

Agent Maine was sitting in the car, waiting for his partner, when the door opened and Agent Callows got in with two coffees in his hand.

"Sadly, they didn't have blood or whatever it is you take your coffee with, so I just put some creme in."

"Hmph," Agent Maine said as he drank the coffee. The man was of few words and lots of muscle.

"So let's see… the NYPD is searching the cameras, what remains of the G.D.T.F is searching the hideouts throughout the city, that only leaves relatives…" Agent Callows said as he pulled out his tablet, "Tablet, display information of targets."

The tablet projected a hologram of the Grimm that they were after.

"Let's see… no, no, we already know about the Longs but we can't check the without any proof, here's, Neptune Vasilias. Ran away after being caught setting his principal's car on fire. Has a mother and a little brother. What do you think Maine."

"Hmph," Agent Maine said as he sipped his coffee.

"Ugh, you are so difficult to please sometimes, you know that?"

_7:12 AM_

Ruby woke up, having mainly foggy dreams that she could not remember, to the smell of eggs and bacon. Looking towards the kitchen, she saw that… PENNY was cooking!

"Penny?"

"Who's Penny," Ruby turned to see Sun eating some scrambled eggs and bacon. Everyone was enjoying their breakfasts.

"No one… I'll be right back," Ruby said as she got up and walked towards the kitchen.

"What was that about," Scarlett asked.

Neo simply just continued eating her food.

Ruby walked up to her childhood "friend" as it was cooking some eggs.

"Penny?"

'Oh! Hello there, Miss Ruby.'

"Y-Yeah… you're okay?"

'It is strange. The last interaction I had with you, my recording was corrupted and then suddenly, you were just gone. When I reactivated, I was in your room. Miss Branwen said that my battery malfunctioned and that I needed to be recharged. When I asked where you had gone, Miss Branwen said that you went to boarding school. Speaking of which, have you returned for break?'

"Yes… Yes, I did. These are some of my fellow classmates," Ruby said as she motioned to the others.

'That is what Miss Branwen said. In any case, I have started cooking breakfast. I am currently working on Master Long's breakfast, but once I am done, I shall make your breakfast the way you like it: eggs singed with a dash of oregano, and that bacon extra crispy. Is this still correct?'

Tears in her eyes, Ruby chuckled at the robotic behavior of her childhood mother figure, "Yes… yes, that is still how I like it. Um… You said that dad's awake?"

'Affirmative. He is in the bedroom while Miss Branwen is currently at the store. She said to tell you that she is getting some supplies for a trip to Canada. I was unaware that you were such an adventurer, Miss Rose.'

As tears began to stream down her face, Ruby pulled the robot in for a hug, surprising the robot.

'Miss Rose, is something wrong?'

"No… No, it's just… I wish that things weren't the way they are."

'Miss Rose, all living things must learn to adapt, it is the nature of all living things. Based on audio logs from the news, it sounds quite bad out there. However, I am sure that it will get better soon.'

Hearing a small beep, Penny quickly broke the embrace and grabbed the pan of cooked eggs and poured it onto a plate.

'Mr. Long's breakfast is done. If you will excuse me for a moment—'

"Hey, actually Penny, why don't I take this to him?"

'Oh! Are you sure?'

"Yes, I am sure. You can start working on my breakfast while I am gone, right?"

'Affirmative, I shall start right away. Please be gentle as the plate is at an approximate 102º F.'

Ruby took the plate of food and walked towards her father's room.

As she stood outside, Ruby took a big breath in and exhaled before she knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Hearing his voice, Ruby kept her composure as she opened the door to see her father. He had a five o'clock shadow of blonde hair and his eyes were tired and irritated. In his hands was the photo of Ruby's late mother, Summer Rose.

Hearing the door open, he looked up and seemed confused.

"Summer?"

Hearing him call her Summer made Ruby feel sorry for what she did even more than before.

"No… No, I'm not Summer."

"Oh wait a minute, I remember you. You were there in the forest in Vermont."

"Yes, do you happen to remember my name?"

"Y-Yes, it was… Ru— Ruby! It was Ruby…"

"Yeah… Ruby…" As Ruby looked down and saw that she was still holding his food, "Oh! Sorry, I have this for you."

"Oh yes… Penny always knows what I like to eat. Just set it wherever."

Ruby turned and set the food down on a table that was a few feet from the bed. But as she proceeded, Tai had more questions.

"Wait… what are you doing here?"

"Well…"

"Let me guess… it has something to do with me losing my memories…"

Ruby turned to Tai and saw the pain in his eyes as he held the photo.

"I came home as fast as I could, screaming for Summer. But when I returned, I found Penny was destroyed and nothing looked the same. I called Raven for help, and she told me things that I did… why? Why can't I remember?"

Walking up to him, Tai saw the way that Ruby was staring at the photo of Summer.

"You look just like she did…"

As Ruby stared at her mother, she saw the damage that her journey had on the photo. The paper was yellow, the wrinkles beginning to tear… it was as if a representation of what this journey has done to the family as a whole… cracked and broken, but still standing.

"She is very pretty…"

"She is… I guess now, she _was_…"

"I can't do this…" Ruby said as she sat beside her father.

"What do you mean," He asked as he looked to Ruby.

Ruby nodded, "You said to me that you wanted to name your daughter after me… what would her name have been?"

Tai looked at her with confusion in his eyes, "I—"

"Just… please, say it."

"Well… if we used her mother's last name, then it would have been Ruby Rose."

Once he said the words, Tai and Ruby saw the photo begin to glow and fill the room with light.

"What the," Tai fearfully asked as he dropped the photo.

As it laid there, gently, on the bed, the two watched as an orb of light emerged from the photo, yellow and transparent with faint sounds of laughter emanating from the orb.

"What is that," Tai asked.

Ruby, still in the same spot, grabbed the orb with both of her hands. Once the orb made contact with her hands, Tai watched as the whites of Ruby's eyes turned black and her irises turned blood red.

"Oh my god…"

Turning to Tai, he could see the tears in her Grimm eyes as she leaned towards him, "I thought that what I did was going to help you. I only realized now that what I did only hurt you more… I'm sorry… dad."

Before Tai could say anything, Ruby gently placed the orb at the center of his forehead and the spell took effect. As the memories physically seeped into his brain, Ruby saw tears swell in her father's eyes before caressing his cheeks as he continued to stare at his daughter.

"Oh my god… Ruby…"

"Hey dad…"

Tai placed a hand on his daughters cheek, catching a stray tear that escaped her eyes before pulling her in for a hug.

"I thought that I lost you…"


	9. Chapter 9: The Trials (Coco)

_January 20th, 2040_

_11:30 PM_

Coco stood outside of the Council chambers, Jaune at her side and his hand interlocked with her's.

"Are you sure that you want to do this," Jaune asked.

"Yes…"

As she took a step forward, she felt tension on her hand as Jaune had not let go. Looking at Jaune, she saw the tears in his eyes.

"I can't lose you too…"

Coco faced him completely, "I can't keep looking over my shoulder anymore, Jaune. I will be fine, I promise."

Jaune looked away, knowing that she had made up her mind, and let go of her hand and letting her begin the Trials. As Coco opened the doors, she turned to Jaune and gave a smile.

"Wait for me at home, okay?"

"I'll keep the coffee warm for you," Jaune smiled back… she always was the only one who he smiled to.

Coco walked inside of the Council chambers and saw the five Elders, all robed and holding orbs of fire in their hands that acted as the only light sources of the room. Ozpin, who was wearing green robes, stepped forward and spoke.

"Coco Adel, you have chosen to take part in the Trials of the Grimm. Is this still what you choose to do?"

"Yes. Yes, it is what I wish to choose."

Ozpin nodded, "Very well, the Elders of Liberteria have agreed to this ritual. Elder Gwen, would you please…"

Gwen, who was wearing blue robes, stepped forward and aimed her hand at Coco.

"_Vicissim vestimentum in stolas_."

Coco looked down to see her clothes morph into plain white robes. Looking towards the Elders, Coco watched them extend their arms and released their spells towards urns that sat behind them.

"Fire…" A plume of red smoke.

"Water…" A plume of blue smoke.

"Earth…" A plume of brown smoke.

"Air…" A plume of white smoke.

"Metal…" A plume of black smoke.

The five pillars of smoke ascended to the ceiling as Ozpin continued, "Grimm have been given the ability of physically controlling these gifts, and everyday we discover something new that we can do with these gifts. But when we are given power, others wish for that power… to have it, or to just rid of it in its entirety. You wish for this gift… why?"

Coco stepped forward, "My sister died because of what she is… and I was powerless to stop it. My friend suffers because he was powerless to help someone we left behind. I do not want to be powerless anymore… I want to help those that need it."

"Do any of the Elders have something to say about our initiate?"

"I, Elder Hazel, leader of the agriculture and Elder of the Northeast, speak in favor of the initiate."

"Speak."

"Coco's mother, Willow Adel, was a major ally to the Northeast Light. When it came time to come to their hour of need, we failed… and I am sorry. I owe a life debt to the Adel name, and perhaps this is the start of paying that debt."

"I, Elder David, leader of the defense and Elder of the West, speak in favor of the initiate."

"Speak."

"She is one of the few humans to remain with us. She has faced many obstacles along the path, and she has done things that have shown her true loyalty to the Light. With these gifts, I see only the benefits that she will provide for the community of Liberteria."

"And I, Elder Gwen, leader of diplomacy and Elder of the Southwest, speak in favor of the initiate."

"Speak."

"The initiate has shown her loyalty to the Grimm through loss and sacrifice. She is like us, a soul lost in the dark that searches for the Light."

"The majority of the Council speaks highly of you, Coco Adel. You have been granted the initiation of the Trials of Grimm," Ozpin said as he slammed his cane against the ground.

The other four Elders extended their hands and said, "_Petra_."

The floor began to shake as a stone bed began to rise up and stand still.

"Miss Adel, if you would please."

Coco stepped forward and got onto the bed.

"The Trials shall commence. Miss Adel, the path ahead must be traveled by you and you alone… For you to become one that controls the elements, you must understand the elements. Elder Hazel, hand her the goblet."

Hazel approached Coco and handed Coco a golden goblet. Taking it, Coco drank its content… to realize what she had drunk.

"Through the blood of Grimm shall you become one of us…" Ozpin said.

Drinking the rest, Coco threw the goblet down, symbolizing that she had drunk all of the blood in the goblet.

The Elders watched as Coco's skin had turned pale and black lines had slowly crept around her face…

Coco fell back onto the stone bed and gritted her teeth in pain as she felt the blood course through her body.

The Elders all looked away from the girl… except for Ozpin. Before long, Coco screamed loudly until she just went silent.

Gwen approached Coco and placed her fingers on the girl's neck. Feeling the light pulse, Gwen sighed in relief.

"She is alive."

The Elders all sighed in relief as they looked to Ozpin, "Then her journey has begun… and she must do this on her own."

_In a place where time is irrelevant_

Coco opened her eyes and saw that she was in the forest outside of the village… but something about felt… different. She knew where she was, but didn't at the same times. Feeling a cooling sensation at her feet, Coco looked down to realize that she was standing in a river. The water up to her knees but calm, so she was not pushed away by the current.

"Coco."

Turning to the voice, Coco saw Elder Oobleck standing there.

"You have arrived to the first of your Trials, being the Trial of Water. Water is what makes most of the world, it is what makes most of the resources on the planet, it is most of what makes you. The Grimm see the element of water as an adaptable force. We have had to fight with tooth and nail to build Liberteria and, only by helping one another do we survive the toughest storms, the biggest floods, or the biggest massacres. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I think so."

"Good. Then prove it. You must try and tag me."

With that, Oobleck shot his hand upward and the rock that was beneath him shot up, carrying him with.

"This will be easy…" Coco said as she began to move.

But she didn't. Looking down, Coco tried to move her legs but they were stuck in place.

"I am waiting," Oobleck yelled.

Coco tried as hard as she could to move her legs, but they would not move.

"My legs, they're—"

"Lack of limbs is no excuse. We live in a world where few have what it takes to get through life easily. Those who have nothing must adapt and form new ways to get by. When we were forced from our homes, away from those we love, we knew that was our way of surviving. And so you must do the same… adapt."

Coco looked around for something… anything. But there was nothing to help her. Looking back at her legs, Coco extended her arm and said, "_Ignis_," in the hopes of somehow freeing herself.

"You do not have the power of the Grimm, child. Not yet anyways…"

Coco tried everything: jumping, running, even trying to "believe" that she could just walk out. Out of options, Coco looked down at her reflection. As she continued to stare, she looked to the side and saw the column that Elder Oobleck stood atop.

'You must adapt… a Trial of Water…'

As Coco crouched down, Oobleck smiled as he felt himself being lifted from the column. Coco pulled her hand out of the water to see a small Oobleck was standing in the palm of her hand.

"Excellent… you have passed the Trial of Water."

The figure suddenly turned to dirt before crumbling through the Coco's hand.

"And so now you must pass the Trial of Earth," Elder Gwen said behind Coco, "Coco, earth is the element of substance. The human body is of earth, our bodies are given to us so that we may take from the earth. When we die, we give ourselves back to the earth. It is the circulation of our lifetime. Earth takes the humanity's damage that it does to the earth, and it continues to live on. Just like the Earth, there are things that we must all come to terms with."

"Coco?"

Coco dared not believe what she heard, but turned regardless to see her sister… Velvet.

"Vel…?"

A smile on her face, Velvet ran towards her and Coco extended her arms with tears.

"Vel, I missed you so much," Coco said as tears streamed down her eyes.

But as the two were centimeters away, Velvet suddenly fell into the ground right in front of Coco's eyes.

"W-What…?"

"You blame yourself for what happened to your sister. You think that she should be standing here and you should be the one who died in Liberteria. We all blame ourselves for leaving someone behind, yet you specifically blame yourself for your sister's death."

Looking to Gwen, Coco saw that Gwen had her palm pushing downward. She had sent Velvet beneath the earth.

"BRING HER BACK," Coco yelled.

"I could, but you must answer a question for me first."

"What?!" Coco asked.

"If you had your sister's power, what would you have done to save her?"

"W-What?"

"You wish for the power of Grimm. If you had it then, you think that you could have saved her. Tell me how."

"I-I would have used a spell—"

"What spell?"

"Time freeze—"

"The crash would have killed her long before you said the first word."

"Then I would have used the blood—"

"With the power of Grimm, you would torture your sister before she died from the crash?"

"NO!"

_12:01 AM_

"Vel…" Coco groaned as her veins pulsated black, her fingers twitching and her teeth gritted.

"Come on, Coco…" Hazel whispered.

_In the Trials_

Coco had walked up and fallen to her knees, clenching Gwen's robes as she continued to beg her to let her see Velvet.

"Please… Please let me see her…"

"You know the answer yet you will not say it."

"Please…" Coco cried as she clenched her fists.

"Say it."

"No…"

"What would you have done that day…"

"Stop."

"How could you have saved your sister that day."

Looking up to Gwen, Coco yelled, "I WOULD DO NOTHING!"

There was a silence.

"Why would you do nothing?"

"I would do nothing… because I can do nothing… I would never have been able to save her, human or Grimm… any spell I would have tried would have made her suffer in some way. The crash… The crash killed her… quickly… and painlessly"

Coco looked down and she bawled as she revealed the horrid truth. Meanwhile Coco looked back to the spot where Velvet was and raised her hand.

Coco heard the earth open and saw Velvet standing there.

"Thank you Coco…" Velvet smiled.

Coco took no time to crawl over and pull her sister in for a hug.

"I'm so sorry Vel… I'm so sorry that I was too weak…"

"I forgive you," Velvet wrapped her arms around her sister as Coco closed her eyes and felt the painful tears caress her cheeks, "Grandma's calling me. I have to go now… but we will be with you, Coco."

As Coco looked at her, Velvet chuckled as her body turned into a light that ascended high into the sky.

"Congratulations."

Coco looked at Gwen.

"You passed the Trial of Earth."

Gwen suddenly was set aflame as the forest around Coco lit up like a tinderbox. Looking around, Coco felt the heat against her skin as she looked down at her hand to see the hairs on her arm began to singe. Suddenly… it was all gone and all that was left was a void that Coco stood in the center of.

"Welcome to the Trial of Fire."

Looking up, Coco saw Hazel was standing there with a ball of fire in his hands.

"Fire is a dangerous and powerful element. Too little restraint and the flame gets out of control, too much restraint and you are left with nothing. Fire represents the burning desire for more. It is what drives humanity… the desire for more."

A sudden light shined down on the two, surprising Coco. Looking back towards Hazel, she saw that he had vanished.

"H-Hello?"

A second voice… this one also shocked Coco as she turned around to see a metal table. On said table… was a girl. Her head was covered by a sack and her clothing only consisted of rags that wrapped tightly around her private areas. Chained to the table by all four limbs, she laid there.

"Please help me…"

Reaching forward, Coco grabbed the sack and pulled it off, revealing that it was Ruby.

"Ruby?"

"Help me…"

Hazel stood opposite of Coco as he began, "There are some who wish to gain more power… and there are some who wish to take it away in its entirety so that they may keep their own power. This is what President Ironwood did to us. Those that evaded him, he is now trying to find… by any means necessary."

A figure walked up, cloaked in shadow and gave a small chuckle.

"Where is Liberteria, Miss Rose?"

"I told you… I don't— AAAAAAAGH!"

As Coco watched as Ruby was electrocuted, the imagery vanished and Ruby vanished from Coco's sight yet again and she was back in the forest.

"But power just as power can be given… so too can power corrupt and take over. Even those that one does not even think of."

Coco watched as a figure ran through the trees before a sudden branch was lodged through the shadow's abdomen and the figure fell down.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Looking towards the direction the figure yelled, Coco saw Ruby. Her clothes were black and covered in blood, her eyes Grimm but a monotone look on her face as she extended her hand, "_Sanguis_."

As Coco watched Ruby committing murder, Hazel continued, "Grimm cannot let their emotions take over… or else we will become nothing more than animals."

"What happened to her?"

"Anger… betrayal… the pain that she endured broke her… and her emotions were eager to take over."

"So… does that mean that Ruby is alive?"

Hazel looked around, "The Trials take place in one's mental plain. It shows both reality and imagination. It can show the past, present, future, or it can show nothing but utter illusions. As I speak to you now, the real me is out there, making sure that you do not succumb to the blood of the Grimm."

"What is my Trial of Fire?"

"There is no Trial of Fire, this was more a lecture of Fire. A reminder to not let you lose your control."

Looking down, Hazel saw his body beginning to blow away like snow during a blizzard.

"And now you have passed the Trial of Fire. I will be waiting for you on the outside…"

"And your Trial of Air has begun," Elder David said.

As Coco turned to David, she saw bodies stacked along the ground. Faces of those she knew… Velvet, Willow, Ruby… others that knew her before all of this.

"Air is the element of our freedom. When Ozpin establish Liberteria, he knew that it would be our beacon of civilization. A place where we could escape from worldly concerns and find nothing but peace and freedom. Your Trial will be to let go."

"What do you…"

Suddenly, the bodies all got up and looked at her.

"Before you are those that you believe that you hurt. But as you can see…"

Coco saw the smiles on their faces as they stared at her.

"Their love for you has not wavered, it remains the same. It has been clear to us that you feel a great loss. Those that you love… you feel as though you have betrayed them. You feel that their deaths are on your hands."

"Yes…" Coco said.

David appeared beside Coco and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"You must let the go. Let them feel the freedom that they have earned."

Coco looked at the figures with tears in her eyes as she nodded. The figures began to glow as they smiled at Coco, their bodies beginning to scatter like flower petals in the wind.

"Love is a form of energy, and it swirls all around us. Their love for you has not left this world, so long as you remain on this world. Their love is still inside of your heart."

Coco saw Velvet and Willow waving and smiling as they scattered away, and Coco wiped her eyes and had a smile on her face.

"They won't be gone… because I will always remember them…" Coco said.

"Exactly," David smiled, "And so… you have passed the Trial of Air."

As David walked away, Coco heard the voice of the final trial.

Ozpin spoke, "So you have managed to pass all the levels of the Trials. I am quite impressed I must admit. That being said, you have reached the final Trial, the Trial of Metal."

"I'm ready."

"I am sure that you are. _Ferro_."

A table of steel ascended from the ground. Coco waited for some trick, but Ozpin just said, "Look into it."

Coco stepped forward and stared into the near perfect reflection of herself in the metal.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?"

"This trial is not going to be a lecture, nor some mentally straining task. This is a final chance. I want you to look at yourself and know that you are willing to throw away your chances of being human. To live with us…"

Coco stared at herself in the reflection, and as she did, she saw Willow and Velvet standing by her side, smiling.

"Elder Ozpin… I have been through hell and back, I have aided the Light for years, killed two soldiers, and have been living among you for a few months now. This is my home now… and it is time that I become a member of it officially."

"So be it…"

"Wait… let me just say goodbye. One last time."

Ozpin nodded. Coco took the opportunity to turn and hug her grandmother and sister.

"We are so proud of you, Coco."

"Grandma and I will be waiting for you," Velvet said.

"I know… I know…" Coco said.

Coco let go over her family and walked back to Ozpin.

"Are you ready," He asked.

Looking back to her grandmother and sister, Coco nodded, "Yes."

"Then lay down on the table," Ozpin said.

Coco got on and laid still, staring up into the sky as snow began to fall.

"Close your eye and return to the world of the living."

As Coco closed her eyes, she felt her body… it was different…

"You have passed the Trials of Water," Oobleck said.

"You have passed the Trials of Earth," Gwen said.

"You have passed the Trials of Fire," Hazel said.

"You have passed the Trials of Air," David said.

"And you have passed the Trial of Metal. You have passed the Trials of Grimm. Coco Adel, do you swear to protect your fellow Grimm from those that wish harm upon us."

"I do."

"Do you swear that you shall not use your powers for the main purpose of harm?"

"I do."

"Do you swear to do so from now until you have earned the true freedom?"

"I do."

"Then I, Ozpin Pine, lead Elder of Liberteria, welcome you with open arms… Coco, Grimm of Liberteria. Open your eyes."

Coco slowly opened her eyes… black with glowing red irises.

**Let me know what you all thought. Cheers.**


	10. Chapter 10: Losing that Scarlett color

_January 20th, 2040_

_8:32 AM_

As Neptune scraped his fork against the remaining pieces of egg on his plate, Scarlett was discussing the plan to Neo.

"So we arrive and cross this…" Scarlett said as he pointed at the map, "Rainbow bridge."

Neo nodded, letting him know that she understood.

"All we have to do is wait for Sun to deliver the message to the Elders and for Raven to return," Scarlett said.

"Do you think that we can trust her," Neptune asked, "It was her job to hunt us down… this whole family's job was to hunt us down."

"We just have to trust her, Nep. We don't have any alternatives."

"I don't know about that…"

While the other three were discussing the plan, Sun was in the bathroom. Pulling one of the burner phones from his bag, Sun pulled the battery he uses out and plugged it in and dialed the number.

'Who is this?'

"Electrical Company, I heard that you have a missing light?"

'You have twelve seconds.'

"The Sun has risen on the quiet morning. A Raven has come to aid the scarlett rose as it faces neptune's falls. The sun shall set in two days."

'Goodbye.'

Sun then hung up the burner phone, snapped it in half, and pulled the battery out before tossing the remains into the trash can.

"Okay… hopefully they got that."

As Sun walked back towards the others, Ruby and Tai were still in his room. Tai had a look of horror on his face as he had just listened to Ruby telling him what had happened since the forest.

"Ruby… I…"

"If Sun hadn't found me… I would still be there."

Tai's face changed to unchained anger.

"I am going to kill that agent."

Ruby placed a hand on his shoulder and shook her head.

"No…"

"But—"

"What matters is getting to Niagara Falls."

"…You're leaving… for good, aren't you?"

Ruby looked down, giving Tai her answer.

"Hang on," Tai said as he grabbed the phone and dialed a certain number.

"Dad, what are you—"

"Hey Gus, you know how you owe me a favor?"

_8:52 AM_

After being on hold for about twenty minutes, Tai heard back from this Gus person.

'I can give you five minutes with no one listening.'

"You're a life saver, Gus."

'We're even now, Tai.'

Tai tapped Ruby on the shoulder and handed the phone to her. Taking it, Ruby hesitantly asked, "Hello?"

'Ruby?!'

Hearing that voice shocked Ruby.

It was Uncle Qrow.

"Uncle Qrow? Oh my god… it's so great to hear your voice."

'You're telling me… Raven told me that…A-Are you okay?'

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. What about you?"

'Well, you know how it is… being a cop in a prison. But, being a G.D.T.F cop makes me okay around here since I never put any of these guys away. I get the occasional look or two, but it's bearable. What are you doing with…'

"Everything is going to be fine, Uncle Qrow. I wish that I could explain it all to you, but it would take too long. All that I can tell you is that I am still heading north."

'That's good… I am still waiting on that postcard. Speaking of which, is that guy with you still? Jaune, right?'

"…We got separated last month, but I hope to meet him again when I get there."

'He didn't leave you behind, did he?'

"No, no he didn't. I can't explain it, but we just got separated."

'Good, I'd hate to get out of here and then come back for a real crime,' Qrow chuckled.

'Even in prison, he has his humor…' Ruby said to herself.

"I'm sorry Uncle Qrow…"

'For what?'

"You're in there because of me—"

'You stop that right now. I did what I did to protect you. Besides, I shouldn't be in here much longer.'

"How much time do you have?"

'If I keep a "positive" behavior, it will be only a few more months… if I'm lucky.'

"You have one more minute, Ruby," Tai said as he stared at his stopwatch.

"Okay… Uncle Qrow, I… I have to go."

'Trust me kid, knowing that you're gonna be safe is gonna get me through this like a walk in the park. By the way, did Raven tell you about—'

"No, but I know…"

'That will be a hell of a surprise, won't it?'

"Ruby," Tai said.

"I have to go Uncle Qrow."

'See you, kid.'

Ruby handed the phone back to Tai, who hung up the phone.

"Raven and I knew a guy from the force. Saved his life during a firefight, so that was the favor."

"How come you never mentioned stories like that?"

"What and make you worried about fighting Grimm— eh… sorry."

"It's okay…"

The door to their room opened up and the two saw Raven had returned.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes… Yes it is," Tai smiled.

"Good, cause we're almost ready."

9_:32 AM_

The Versails home is a slowly healing home. Having "lost" their eldest son to the G.G.B, they have slowly been getting back on track with their lives. Especially the youngest son, Kerry. In the dining area, an older couple, Neptune's mother and father were enjoying their breakfasts when a knock on the door surprised them.

"Who could that be?"

"Is it the Sunday paper," The older woman asked as she got up and approached the door. Looking through the window, she saw two individuals. Fine suits, but badges showing.

Opening it, she saw Agents Callows and Maine.

"Hello?"

"Hello there, my name is Agent Callows and this is Agent Maine. We are two federal agents and we just had a few questions regarding your son, Neptune."

"Neptune? Oh, Neptune died during that bill."

"I see… so you have not heard anything from him in, say, the last few days?"

"Of course not!"

"I see… well, I apologize for bothering you today, ma'am. Have a good day."

As the two agents walked down the steps, Maine grabbed Tyrian's arm.

"What?"

"Is she lying?"

"No. She is telling the truth and I am not in the mood for drawn out stories about their 'darling boy.'"

"Where to then?"

"Hmmm… If they aren't here, and not at any of the hideouts… then perhaps they are with some unlikely allies."

"Hm?"

"I need to make some calls."

_9:46 AM_

The Grimm and adults stood around the kitchen counter, the map in the center of them.

"We're going to be cutting up through Pennsylvania and cut through the mountains. If worse comes to worse, then we will have to cut through the mountains on foot. With no cameras and no GPS signals except for the burner phones that work temporarily, we should be safe then. But the Agent who is after us is persistent. Neo and Ruby know the most about him. Ruby?"

"Agent Tyrian Callows, he…" Ruby stuttered as memories of her torture returned briefly.

"Take your time," Raven said.

"Sorry… Agent Callows is like Sun said: persistent. He is ruthless and he will not hesitate to use any means of trying to extract information from you. His goal is trying to find Liberteria so that they can finish us off. We can't let that happen, so if any of us Grimm get captured…"

"Hopefully it won't come to that. Mrs. Xiao Long, how are the supplies?"

"I got you all enough food and water to last you a few days as well as some backpacks to allow you to carry those supplies through into Canada. Does Liberteria know what your situation is?"

"Yeah, I think so. All that we can do now is hope that we can get to the Bridge without anymore distractions."

"When are you planning on leaving," Tai asked.

"With the way things are… we should leave as soon as possible," Sun said.

"As much as it pains me to admit it, Sun is right. The longer we stay, the more likely it is that they will find us," Ruby said.

"I agree…" Raven said, "Sun, take these."

Raven grabbed a pair of keys and handed them to Sun.

"Ma'am, I—"

"You can and will. We're trusting you to help our daughter get away from here."

"You heard the lady, we're packing up and moving out," Sun said as he twirled his finger.

_10:02 AM_

Sun packed the last bag into the car and closed the trunk.

"We're all set to go! Ruby, get out here."

Ruby walked out into the garage, wearing her new clothes that consisted of black jeans, a black and white hoodie with a red blanket wrapped around her neck like a cape.

As the others began to pack up, Ruby looked to her father and mother in law.

"Well, I… I guess that this is goodbye. Again."

"Oh… I guess it is," Raven said as she and Tai hugged Ruby, "only this time, we won't be chasing after you."

Ruby gave a tearful chuckle.

'Oh, why is everyone hugging? Did something bad happen,' Penny asked as she walked up.

Chuckling, Ruby pulled Penny in to join the hug, saying, "Shut up and join the hug."

'Affirmative.'

"Ruby, in case you don't come back… you should know—"

"I know, Raven," Ruby said as she leaned into Raven's ear, "He always liked the name Yang."

Smiling, Raven nodded.

Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Ruby saw Neo was nodding towards the car.

"Okay… thanks Neo. I have to go."

Tai pulled Ruby in for one last hug, "I know that we will meet again… and I will bring Qrow with."

"I'm sure that he would love that dad…"

"Ruby," Sun said.

"I'm coming," Ruby said as she walked towards the car.

"Okay Neptune, you'll be navigator, so you're my wingman."

"On it, Sun," Neptune said as he got into the passenger seat up front.

"The rest of you, get into the back seat."

Raven, Tai, and Penny watched as the others got into the car, with only Penny being confused.

'I am confused. Miss Rose was here for only a few hours. Did she forget something at school?'

"Yes, Penny… and she will be staying at school for a while."

'That is rather disappointing.'

"What did she say to you," Tai asked Raven.

"Why don't we go inside, I have something to tell you," Raven said as she and the other two walked inside.

But as the car pulled out of the driveway, the group saw them… Agents Maine and Callows. Standing there in there neat suits. Callows pulled a megaphone out from behind his back and had quite the smug smile on his face.

"Ah… so that is where you were hiding out. I should have guessed. And here I thought that I would have had to have another lovely chat with Mrs. Versailis."

Hearing his family name caused Neptune to lean forward, "Mom?"

"Don't worry Neptune, I didn't harm a fly in that home. Now, just step out of the vehicle and we will kill you all quickly… well most of you. Still need one of you to find Liberteria. And of course, I was not done with my fun with Miss Rose."

Neo placed her hand on Ruby's shaking hand.

"In about twelve minutes, three squads will arrive and be willing to cover this whole block in lead. I'd rather just cuff ya and do it somewhere else. So how about it?"

"What are we going to do," Ruby asked.

After a brief moment of silence, Scarlett sighed, getting the attention of the others.

"Don't wait for me…" Scarlett said as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

"Scar, what're you doing," Neptune asked.

"Getting the rest of you out of here," Scarlett said as he got out of the car.

"SCARLETT," Neptune yelled as he grabbed his seatbelt to follow Scarlett.

Sun placed his hand on Neptune's head, "_Insomnia_."

"No…" Neptune said as he fell asleep.

Looking to Scarlett, Sun nodded, "Live free."

Scarlett nodded, "Die free."

Scarlett looked back to the Agents as Sun floored it towards the Agents. Seeing the Agents pull their pistols out, Scarlett extended his hands and said, "_Tormenta_."

Both of the Agents' weapons flew out of their hands as Sun drove past them. Looking back toward Scarlett, they watched him throw the guns as far as he could.

"Well… looks like we have a brave guy. You want him," Callows asked.

Maine crunched his hands, "Gladly."

Scarlett watched the bigger Agent beginning to charge him and he readied himself.

As Maine was within a few feet, Scarlett extended his hand, "_Tardus Tempus_."

Suddenly, Maine slowed down as he was delivering a right hook. Taking this small burst of time, Scarlett punched Maine right in his jaw before deliver a right kick to Maine's stomach, which he quickly followed up with a jab to Maine's back.

The spell finally wore off, and Maine only groaned as he turned and faced Scarlett.

"Oh crap. _Tardus Tempus_."

As Maine froze in time again and Scarlett began to attack again, Callows was only standing from a good distance, chuckling.

"The kid has energy, that's for sure."

Scarlett deliver multiple jabs to the chest before kicking Maine's leg. But as he retracted his leg, Maine had broken free and grabbed Scarlett's leg.

"Uh oOOOO!"

Maine flung Scarlett towards a car, shattering the driver side window and putting a big bend in the metal. Slowly getting up, Scarlett had little time to react as Maine kicked him in the stomach and grabbed him by the head before dragging his face against the gravel and glass on the ground, causing Scarlett to scream.

"Maine!"

Maine threw the Grimm boy towards the center of the street, but Scarlett got back up and stared at the muscular man.

"Aw come on, I was just getting started…" Scarlett said.

"You're out of energy, little boy," Maine said as he walked towards Scarlett.

"Heh, usually that's my line…" Scarlett spit out some blood.

Maine took a running start and punched Scarlett across the face, sending him back down to the ground. Looking at the ground, he saw the glass still on the ground and extended his hand, "_Speculum_."

"Come here, smartass," Maine said as he grabbed Scarlett by the shirt. But as he turned the bloodied Grimm to face him, Scarlett screamed he flung his hand towards Maine, sending the multiple shards of glass to the bald man's body.

Pieces went everywhere. His body, his arms, his face, and his emotion was now angered.

"You stupid shit!"

"Maine!"

Anger was taking over… Scarlett was losing the fight, but winning at the same time. Maine, angered threw Scarlett back towards the damaged car, this time hitting the hood and sliding onto the other side of the car. Feeling himself dying, Scarlett looked to the car and saw the gas cap.

"MAINE!"

Maine, hurt but still full of rage, looked to Callows.

"We need him alive."

Maine walked towards the car and saw Scarlett was slumped against the car, wheezing and bleeding.

"Have you had enough boy," Maine asked as he approached Scarlett.

"Heh… you wish," Scarlett said as he held one of his hands up to fight.

"Such determination…" Maine said as he grabbed the boy and picked him up as if he were a bag in the wind.

As he was being lifted, Scarlett mumbled, "_Ignis_."

"You were almost a challenge."

"Heh… got a trick up my sleeve," Scarlett said as he looked towards the gas cap.

Maine looked and saw a piece of cloth was ripped off and on fire next to the pile of gas that was leading up to the main gas compartment. Looking at Scarlett, Scarlett said one final spell.

"_Tempus Tardus_."

"Well… done… Grimm…"

When he finished his final statement, the two were engulfed in the explosion.

"NO," Callows yelled, "GOD DAMMIT!"

The three transports arrived with officers, "Sir, what happened?"

"Get that fire out! I need to have a chat with our dear brothers," Callows said as he walked towards the Xiao Long home for answers.


	11. Chapter 11: Solving the Code

_January 21st, 2040_

_11:13 AM_

Tai and Raven stood in the interrogation room of their precinct… with cuffs on their hands. Across from them was Agent Callows, who was quite annoyed with what they were telling him.

"Let me get this straight… You two are some of the best Grimm detainers in New York City. How can some of the best Grimm Hunters in New York not know that five Grimm were in their home?"

"We never said that we didn't know, we said that our memories have been wiped."

"And how can you be so sure that your memories were wiped?"

"Well, last night, Tai and I heard a knock on the door. Since I was still awake, I approached the door with my weapon drawn. As I opened the door, it went from pitch black to a smokey sky, there was no gun in my hands, and you were standing in our doorway with a blown up car behind you."

"And you," Callows looked to Tai, "what story do you have?"

"Agent, the last thing I remember was looking at a photo of my… my late wife…"

"Yes, yes, we're all SO SORRY for your loss, but try to think," Callows said as he rolled his eyes.

"Look, I walked to the door, opened it, saw you, saw the explosion, and now we are here when Tai is placed on temporary leave due to his memory loss. Now, I do not appreciate the tone that you have, but I am going to assume it is because of the loss of your partner. But if you continue to insult us, then—"

An officer walked in and handed a folder to Agent Callows, who looked at the info with a smile on his face.

"Well, if that's true, Branwen, then you will help out me out ."

"How?"

"The witness reports just came in. Apparently, they saw the Grimm leave in your car."

Raven had to remain calm or else the act would be over, "They stole my car?!"

By acting angry, Raven's story seemed more real… but that also dangerously crippled their aid to Ruby and the others.

"All I need is for you to give me the plate numbers, and then you can go."

The two looked at each other before giving their answer.

"It's…"

_11:32 AM_

Standing outside of the precinct, Tyrian was waiting for his car when he heard his phone ring. Knowing who it was, Tyrian readied himself before answering the phone.

"Hello Director."

'Agent, I heard on the news that Maine was killed by a Grimm?'

"Yes… ma'am, it was unfortunate. However, the Grimm was killed in the explosion as well."

'And what of the other Grimm?'

"They managed to get out before the local officials arrived."

Hearing a sigh of anger, a bead of sweat ran down the Agent's head.

'This is becoming a trend as of late, Agent Callows. Perhaps I should assign other Agents to lead the—'

"They arrived at Miss Rose's home for the night. Coincidentally, both parents had their memories wiped and the machine's recorded history were erased. But, it turns out that they the mother in law's car to escape. I can track them with their plates."

'…I can give you one last chance, Agent Callows. However, due to the sudden death of a federal agent, I am sending two agents in Maine's stead: Tex and Washington. It is clear that these Grimm are more dangerous than the ones that we have faced before.'

"Thank you ma'am, you won't regret this."

'I should hope not, Tyrian.'

_January 21st, 2040_

_10:13 AM_

'Help me… please…'

'Ruby?'

'AAAGGGHH!'

"Ruby," Coco shouted as she shot awake, her forehead covered in sweat.

Looking around, Coco knew that she was back in bed… getting out of bed, Coco felt as though she was lightheaded and nauseous.

Hearing the door open, Coco saw Jaune had run in and seemed concerned.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I… I had a bad dream."

"You and me both…" Jaune said as he walked up and sat beside Coco.

"Jaune."

"Yeah?"

"You know how you thought that Ruby was alive?"

"Yeah?"

"What if… What if she is still alive?"

"Why are you asking this?"

"…It was just a dream I had. It's probably the Trials still having their effects on me…"

"That reminds me," Jaune said, obviously wanting a change of subject, "Elder Hazel asked that you go to the council room for a check in after last night."

"I'll head up once I'm dressed… what about you? What are you doing today?"

"I have patrolling on the wall until one with Flynt and Cardin," Jaune said, "I should technically be there now."

Realizing what he said, Jaune quickly got up.

"Oh crap, I'm late," Jaune said as he ran out, leaving Coco to herself.

Getting out of bed, Coco sighed, "Better go see the Elders."

_10:32 AM_

Coco walked up to the council room to see Pyrrha was standing guard, but seemed happy to see Coco.

"Hello Coco," Pyrrha said.

"Hey Pyrrha. I'm here to see the Elders."

"Yes, they wanted me to let you in right away," Pyrrha said as she opened the door.

Walking inside, Coco could hear the Elders discussing politics.

"Prime Minister Dunkleman has allowed trade with the Grimm of Jiyū in Japan," Hazel said.

"That is very good news. What about Senator Hill, what is her stance on all of this," Ozpin said.

"Senator Hill has been quiet these last few weeks. It is possible that she is dealing with a media wave of criticism," Gwen said.

"That is unfortunate… We shall put this on hold for now, we have a guest," Ozpin said as he saw Coco approaching.

Coco walked up and stood before the Elders.

"Coco Adel, welcome back," Elder David said.

"How do you feel, child," Hazel asked.

"I feel like I have a massive hangover… er, I mean at least I think this is what a hangover is supposed to feel like."

Elder Oobleck was the only one who was not chuckling at Coco's joke, "Are you feeling lightheaded? As if you are walking through a pool that is up to your waist?"

"Yeah… I guess that is one way to put it."

"That feeling will take a few days to subside. Until then, Elder Hazel has allowed you to be placed on temporary leave so that you may rest," Elder Oobleck said.

"Wait, no, I'm fine. I—"

"Believe me, child, Oobleck speaks from experience. He thought that he could handle the temporary effects too. Next thing we knew, he was in bed for three weeks."

Seeing the look on Oobleck's face, Coco knew that she had to listen to them.

"Okay."

As Coco agreed, the door opened and a green-haired and dark-skinned young man with tattoos and a long coat jogged in with a piece of paper in his hand.

"Elders, I have news on Sun and the other Grimm."

"Sage, approach."

"Early this morning, I received a call from one of Sun's burner phones. He left this message," Sage said as he held a paper in his hand.

"Elder David," Ozpin said.

David walked up to Sage and grabbed the paper.

"'As the Sun began to set on the Quiet day, a Raven has come to aid the Scarlett Rose as it faces Neptune's falls. The sun shall set in two days.'"

"It sounds like they received help from someone," Gwen said.

"Wait," Coco said, "Let me see that?"

Coco walked forward and grabbed the paper and read it, "The Scarlett Rose…"

"Scarlett is one of the Grimm that we know of to be with Sun. Neo is a mute, so that is who Quiet represents. Neptune and Sun are clear, but we still don't know where they are going to go."

"Rose…" Coco's eyes widened, "how many messages have you gotten from Sun?"

"Within the last few weeks? Maybe three times a week. But recently, perhaps maybe once a day. Why do you ask?"

"How many times did he mention a Rose?"

"Sage, please go and retrieve the last messages that we have received from Sun where he mentions a rose."

"Yes, Elders," Sage said as he ran off.

"What are you thinking, Miss Adel?"

"It's just a theory."

_10:42 AM_

Sage had returned with five papers in his hands and now, they were spread out amongst the Elder's table.

"Each one was within the last few days," Hazel said.

_'The Quiet Scarlett Sun rose upon a forest of death. From that forest, a Scorpion carries a wounded Rose deep underground. Its fate is unknown.'_

_'As the Sun rises amongst the Silent Sea, a Scorpion buries itself in the ground. The silence of the ground drives the Rose insane.'_

_'The Sun has tricked the Scorpion and now the Rose is free. It flows down the Quiet River as its Scarlett color returns to it.'_

_'The sun shall rise on a quiet day. The scarlet rose blossoms through the winter forest. The sky was as blue as Neptune as it reflects off of the legendary fall.'_

_'As the Sun began to set on the Quiet day, a Raven has come to aid the Scarlett Rose as it faces Neptune's falls. The sun shall set in two days.'_

"Miss Adel, might I ask what it is that you are trying to do?"

"Elder Hazel, look here," Coco said.

Hazel approached and looked at the letter regarding the forest.

"Sun is talking about the day of the G.G.B. He must have come to see if we had made it."

"Yes, we knew that."

"On the day of the G.G.B, Ruby Rose was shot and had us leave her behind. Whoever this scorpion is… must have captured her!"

"If that is the case, then Sun and the others must have saved her," Gwen said.

"Raven…" Coco said as she stared at the most recent paper, "Ruby's father was a G.D.T.F member. I saw him on the news and there was another G.D.T.F member… her name was, shit what was it. It was… Bran… Branwen! Raven Branwen! They must have gone to her for help in New York."

"Elder Hazel, was there any back up route you were planning on going to if the forest was no longer an option."

"The only other way that we saw was the Rainbow Bridge near…"

"Near what," Oobleck asked.

"Niagara Falls," Gwen said.

Ozpin stood up, "If we have two days , then we have one day to gather a group of Grimm to escort them back."

"Leave that to me," Elder David said.

"Miss Adel, we thank you for your contribution and your presence. Now we must ask that you return home."

Coco nodded and proceeded out, her heart beginning to race…

Ruby was alive… and she was coming home.


	12. Chapter 12: Breaking Apart

_January 21st, 2040_

_11:13 AM_

'It was a bright and shiny morning here in New York City and what was thought to be a quiet or peaceful morning turned into something out of an action movie. It turns out that after a nuke goes off, there are a few cockroaches left. Five Grimm were discovered to be hiding out in the home of Queens' former head of the G.D.T.F, Taiyang Xiao Long. Long had been dealing with amnesia for the last few weeks after returning from his chase after his Grimm daughter, Ruby Rose. It is unclear if Miss Rose was accompanying the Grimm, but one thing was clear. These Grimm are dangerous. One Grimm was killed during a confrontation after fighting a federal agent, but sadly Agent Maine was killed from an explosion that took the Grimm with him. Our thoughts and prayers go to those who knew him. As for the remaining Grimm, be on the loo—'

"That's enough of that," Sun said as he turned off the radio.

The group had managed to get past the city limits before the city went on lockdown. But as they were heading for Niagara Falls, Ruby realized something.

"Sun, stop the car."

"What?"

"Stop the car!"

Sun pulled over and turned the engine off, "What is it?"

"We have to ditch the car. Now."

"What? Why?"

"This is Raven's car, which means that it is on the police's database. And if it's on their database…"

"It can be tracked. Fuck…"

Neo had already opened her door and begun to grab as many supplies as she could. Shortly after, Ruby got out and filled Velvet's bag with snacks and water. Sun, on the other hand, had to deal with a small issue.

"Neptune," Sun said as he shook the blue haired man awake, "Neptune, wake up."

As Sun was waking Neptune up from the spell, the blue haired man suddenly shot up, "Scarlett? Where is Scarlett?!"

"Neptune," Sun said as he placed his hand on Neptune's shoulder, "Scarlett stayed behind…"

"No… NO."

"Yes, he did and he managed to hold them off long enough for us to get out of the city. Now, we have to move. The car is going to be traced and they will be on top of us if we don't move."

Neptune could hear what Sun was saying, but he had another center of attention.

As he got out of the car, he walked to the back of the car and up to Ruby, who was packing her bag, when she saw Neptune.

"Neptune, I just wanted to say—"

Ruby didn't get the chance to say what she wanted to say as Neptune had suddenly punched Ruby right in the cheek, sending her to the ground.

"NEPTUNE," Sun yelled.

"It's your fucking fault," Neptune said.

Before he could take another step, Neptune received a quick whack of the baton to the ribs and the spine from Neo.

"What the fuck Neptune," Sun asked.

"IT'S HER FAULT HE'S DEAD," Neptune yelled as Neo helped Ruby up.

"The rules, Neptune! We do not lay our hands on those who seek the Light."

"And we don't take unnecessary risks, either!" Neptune stepped up to Sun.

"Go ahead… I dare you to try it," Sun said, "If what Ruby said about the trace is true, then they might have the location already. You can either calm down and come with us… or we can deal with this until more Agents arrive."

Neptune looked to Ruby, who now was holding her cheek and eye in pain, before grabbing his bag and some supplies before beginning to walk. Sun walked up to Neo and leaned towards her ear.

"Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Neo nodded and proceeded to follow Neptune while Sun looked at Ruby.

"Let me help you with that," Sun pointed at his eye as he looked through the supplies in the car. Pulling out Raven's medkit, Sun pulled out a bandage and applied it to Ruby's wound, "Just keep this on until we set up for the night."

"…He was right."

"Hm?"

"He was right… when he said that it was my fault."

"No it is not your fault. Neptune is just looking for something to vent about. Give him some time and he will calm down," Sun said as he placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder, "We're almost there… we just have to push a little bit more, okay?"

Ruby nodded and grabbed her bag before beginning to walk down the road that they were previously driving on.

_January 21st, 2040_

_3:13 PM_

Ruby's hunch was correct.

There were twelve cruisers alongside the highway, all of them aiming their weapons at Raven's car. At least, they were, until Agents Washington, Texas, and Callows appeared.

"Lower your damn weapons. Any moron can tell that it's been abandoned," Agent Washington said.

As the trio of Agents walked up to the vehicle, Agent Texas saw something.

"We have some disturbance with the ground," Texas pointed at the ground, "It appears as though there was a scuffle between the group."

"Perhaps revolving around that Grimm who killed Maine."

"How did a single Grimm take down Maine," Texas asked.

"He underestimated the Grimm's improvisation," Callows said as he looked down the road, "As did I."

"You seem to be messing up a lot lately, Callows. First, you lose your toy, and now you're losing the last chance to find Liberteria."

Callows turned to Washington and approached him, "At least I am doing my job, unlike you Washington. How was babysitting Senator Hill?"

"Better than whatever this goose chase is," Washington said, not intimidated by Callows.

"Boys, boys, calm down. We have more important things to focus on than having a contest about who's bigger. We have zero leads of where they were heading, but we know that the only town that is down this road is Kiryas Joel."

"If they are on foot, then they may try to take a car," Callows said, "Washington, tell the boys in blue to alert Kiryas Joel."

"Fine."

The Agents knew that they were close… but they were closer than they believed.

_January 21st, 2040_

_4:13 PM_

The citizens of Liberteria were standing in the town center, waiting for the Elders to appear as they had called for an emergency meeting.

Within this crowd was Jaune, Coco, and Pyrrha. Coco had not told Jaune yet, because she wanted him to find out on his own.

"What do you think this is going to be about," Pyrrha asked.

"It's the second emergency meeting in the last week, maybe the US is getting close to finding us."

"Or maybe it is a shift in jobs with Spring coming soon," Coco said, "I would love to do something other than farm…"

"Well being a Grimm does tend to open up more possibilities," Pyrrha said.

"Maybe you can hunt with us," Jaune said.

"Good evening everyone," the two heard as Hazel yelled, "I know that you are all wondering why you are here at such a late hour, but the Elders and I have come into we have some important information that our head Elder would like to address to you. Elder Ozpin, would you please…"

Ozpin approached the spot where Hazel stood as he got back into line alongside the other Elders.

"Thank you, Elder Hazel, for that introduction. As Hazel said, I am sure that you are all wondering why I have called you here for a second emergency meeting in the last week. It was only a few months ago when we lost seventy thousand of our kind… leaving behind a strong and united but small group of us. I vowed that I would do all that I can to ensure the survival of our species. In the last few weeks, we have been receiving a brief coded transmissions from a member of the Light, Sun Wukong. A member of Hazel's faction within Vermont, Sun has managed to round up four fellow Grimm who are trying to escape the US by crossing the Rainbow Bridge. Elder David has been placed in charge of sending a small group of us to help bring them home. We now ask for only volunteers who wish to risk their lives to help bring home more of us."

David approached, "Prime Minister Dunkleman knows our situation and has informed the Canadian officers at the border to be on watch as well as given us an armored escort to the bridge. I now ask for volunteers to help in the vent that they are wounded."

Coco stepped forward, "I volunteer myself."

"I am sorry, Miss Adel, but you were instructed by the Council—"

"I don't care. Do you think that the Grimm back in the US are gonna stop running because they're tired? They need our help, and I am more than willing to offer mine."

Ozpin smiled and nodded, "You have your grandmother's will to help in you… very well. Who else?"

"I volunteer myself," Jaune said.

"As do I," Pyrrha said.

"And me."

Ozpin watched as groups of volunteers stepped forward and a smile was plastered on his face.

"Those who wish to go, follow me and we will move out."

_5:12 PM_

By the end, at least twenty volunteers joined Elder David. Now in the transport, they saw Ozpin.

"You all represent what makes Liberteria: unity, compassion, and bravery. We shall await your return with our brothers and sisters. Go forth in the name of the Grimm."

David hit the wall twice, notifying the transport driver that they were ready to move out.

_January 21st, 2040_

_6:13 PM_

Rain had befallen the group of Grimm as they were walking alongside the highway yet out of sight. They had seen the armada of police cruisers passing them, having cloaked themselves using the invisibility spell. When the fleet of cars passed them, they realized that they were in trouble.

If they got to the next town on foot, it would be the end of them… They needed a car or they were going to freeze to death…

And luckily… they had just arrived at a gas station.

Standing in the rain, Sun was scouting the place out from a good distance away before summing everything up.

"You get a good view of everything," Neptune asked.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Okay, so what is the plan here," Ruby asked.

"Okay, we have one human cashier that is behind the counter. Around the store are a bunch of cameras, which means we either have an android or human for security. For cars, we have a single car getting gas. If we are going to do this, we are going to have to get rid of the security tape to avoid getting put back on radar."

"If one of you could distract the cashier, then the other could go and take care of the security tapes."

"What about you," Sun asked Ruby.

"I know how to hotwire a care, but I need someone to be a lookout."

"I can do it," Neptune said.

"You're out of your mind if you think I'm gonna trust you right now," Sun said.

"We don't have time, Sun. Both you and Neo are the fastest of us, so taking care of the tapes would be easy for you."

Sun, knowing that she was right, could only sigh in agreement alongside Neo.

"Okay, go," Sun said.

Sun and Neo proceeded inside of the gas station while Ruby and Neptune went up to the car that was being filled with gas.

_Inside_

Sun and Neo walked into the gas station, calm and collected as Sun saw the owner of the car was getting some beer.

"Take care of the cashier," Sun whispered as he went to deal with the .

Neo nodded and proceeded to act as though she was hungry. Walking up to the energy bars, Neo perused the shelf when she saw the cashier was eyeing her. Looking to him, she gave the cashier a wink and chuckled as he acted nervous. Grabbing a random bar, Neo walked up and placed it on the counter.

"H-Hello there…" The cashier said as he grabbed the bar and used the scanner, "That'll be… five dollars."

Neo patted her pockets, then her back pockets, acting as though she had lost her wallet. Deciding to tease the cashier, she then patted her stomach and chest.

"Uh…"

Leaning towards him, she motioned to go into the restroom. Thinking that he knew what she meant, she and the cashier went into the bathroom to "have fun".

Meanwhile, Sun had simply walked up to the man who was watching the whole thing unfold, "Kids these days are so gullible…"

"Yeah…" Sun said, "Hey, I don't want to alarm you, but I think that your car is leaking gas."

"WHAT," The man yelled as he ran out of the gas station.

_Outside_

The man ran up to his truck and saw that nothing was wrong, "The hell?"

But before he could ask Sun what was going on, he was knocked unconscious by Ruby, who used the sleep spell.

"Quick, before our sleeping giant wakes up," Neptune said.

Pulling the keys out from his pocket, Ruby jingled them towards Neptune.

"Great," Neptune said.

As Ruby was about to open the door, Neptune saw something else was on the body.

"All we need now is for Sun and Neo to do their part and then—" Ruby stopped as she felt the cold feeling of the gun that was placed on her spine.

"Yeah, change of plans…"

_Inside_

As Sun approached the security room, he saw Neo walking out and putting her, now dismantled, baton back on her hip.

"Did he enjoy your time?"

Neo gave Sun the middle finger as a response. The two walked up to the door labeled, 'Security' and gently picked the lock, opened the door, and saw that the security guard was asleep. Sun looked to Neo and motioned her to get the tape.

_Outside_

"Neptune, what are you—"

"Shut up."

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened to Scarlett—"

"I said shut up, or I swear to god, I will put a bullet in your spine."

Ruby decided it would be best for her at the moment if she listened.

"Now raise your hands slowly," Neptune said.

Ruby raised them slowly and turned to face Neptune.

"We were in the clear to get to Liberteria, no Agents, none of it. All Sun had to do was keep looking straight. But no… he just had to fucking spot you, the one millionth of a chance that he would spot you and he did…" Neptune said, "It's like it was fate… but ever since then… things have gone to shit."

"Neptune, just please think about this…"

"No. I have thought about it, and I think that if you end up getting left behind, then maybe that fucking Agent will stop following us. I mean, you're who he's after, right?"

"Listen to yourself, you sound crazy, Neptune," Ruby said, "Just please… throw the gun away and I won't say anything to Sun or Neo."

"Yeah, like that has ever worked on anyone. Move," Neptune said.

But Ruby did not move.

"I said MO—"

"_Sanguis_."

Neptune felt the blood in his body come to a halt as he tried to quickly pull the trigger, but failed. Now, he was at Ruby's mercy and she was pissed.

"I have been beaten bloody for hours on end, strung up to an electric chair and had my body feel like it was going to explode, had my fingernails ripped out and forced to regrow them with magic just to have them ripped out again, waterboarded until I nearly drowned, been forced upon by that disgusting monster just for his pleasure… all so that he can find a place that I have never even been to. So, if you think that shoving a gun into my back was going to terrify me into doing what you wanted… you don't know who I am."

_Inside_

Neo was in the middle of pulling the tape out when she saw Ruby and Neptune outside. Having pulled the tape out, Neo and Sun ran out of the gas station to see Ruby was now causing Neptune to scream in pain. His veins pulsating, his teeth gritting so hard that they had begun to crack under the pressure, blood and bile spilling out of his mouth as his eyes turned bloodshot.

"Ruby," Sun said.

"He pulled a gun on me…" Ruby said.

"Don't worry… we saw it all…" Sun said, "Neptune…"

"She… killed Scarlett… She… will kill… us all…"

Sun walked up and took the gun out of Neptune's hand, "Neo, Ruby, get in the car…"

"Sun?"

Sun turned to Ruby and she could see it… now Sun was mad, "Get in the car."

Neo placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder and nodded, which prompted Ruby to let Neptune go. As he fell to the ground, coughing up blood and mucus, Neptune heard the sound of the safety being switched and looked to see the gun was right up against his forehead.

"So… even you break the rules sometimes…"

"The rules say that no Grimm is to kill or harm another Grimm, it says nothing about having to save every Grimm."

Sun suddenly shot a round into the gas station, most likely waking up the security guard.

"Sun, what the hell are you doing," Neptune asked as he began to get up.

Sun responded by kicking Neptune back to the ground and with his body still healing from Ruby's spell, he was going to be down for quite a bit. Walking up, Sun placed his hand on Neptune's head, "_Memoria Damnus Liberteria_."

Pulling every memory of Liberteria out of Neptune's brain, Sun quickly evaporated the memory permanently.

"Sun…" Neptune groaned.

"Goodbye, Neptune."

Sun hopped into the car, was handed the keys by Ruby, and the now trio drove off… leaving Neptune there… as he heard the sirens already coming…


	13. Chapter 13: Freedom

**Hey everyone, I just wanted to say that I noticed something in the previous chapter: I I accidentally put 2040 instead of 2041. That is my bad, the Grimm did not invent time travel. But this book is coming to an end. However, I have many ideas for a third story about this. But I will be working on a Pokemon fic that I promised someone and I feel terrible that it has taken so long because I have been having inspiration for only this story.**

_January 21st, 2041_

_11:13 PM_

The night was dark… and there were many terrors that were instilled in the last three Grimm that were wide awake in their car. Luckily, they had managed to hide out deep within the forest that is closest to their destination. Unfortunately… morale was low… very low.

Neo sat inside of the car, opening and closing her baton. Ruby was sitting in her seat in silence… and Sun was outside with a burner phone in his hand.

"Fuck…" Sun wiped his eyes as he dialed the number.

'What do you—'

"I don't have time, Sage, it's me."

'You have thirty seconds.'

"The Sun sets on a Quiet day. The Scarlett color has died off, leaving the Rose a shade paler as the Neptune sea tried to kill what remained. The Sun scorched the sea and now what remains is close to falling."

'I see… Know that the Sparrow has heard your calls and shall fly to your aid by tomorrow's morn. We must go.'

Hanging up and breaking the phone, Sun sighed. This was good… the Light was coming to help… but it still felt hopeless. Sun walked up to the truck and opened Ruby's door.

"I have news regarding tomorrow. One of the Elders are coming to the bridge to help us cross tomorrow."

"That's good right," Ruby asked.

"Yeah, but it could also mean that there is trouble that we don't know about. Either way, you two should get some rest."

"What about you," Ruby asked.

"I have to think for a bit," Sun said as he shut the door.

"Bullshit," Ruby said as she reopened the door and got out.

Hearing the door open, Sun turned and saw Ruby walk up to him.

"If you are going for a walk, I can at least provide some company."

"Heh Okay… Neo, watch the car."

Neo gave a small salute and went back to just hanging out and playing with her weapon while the two walked deeper into the woods.

"So… what were you planning on thinking about," Ruby asked.

"Neptune… it still feels pretty unreal to me, I guess."

"This is all my fault… all of it."

"Ruby—"

"NO," Ruby yelled with tears in her eyes, "It was all because of FUCKING Ciel… ever since that day, everything has gone to shit. All because I was too fucking paranoid about my phone being dead, and now… now three people have had to die for me. First it was Willow… then Scarlett, and now Neptune… You should have left me behind."

Sun walked up and pulled Ruby in for a hug. Feeling her arms wrap around him, Sun spoke, "It is in our darkest moments when we feel as though we give up. But it is also when we see who we truly are. Neptune was selfish and was believed that turning you in would send them off of our trail, but it would not have done anything. You are strong Ruby, I can see it in you. You remind me of Neo actually," Sun looked back towards the truck.

"Sun… there is something that I have to say," Ruby said as she backed away from Sun.

"What is it?"

"Ever since that day, in the forest…there has been this, how should I put it, this part of me— no, more like an entity. I feel as though I have been fighting her for days without stopping. She wants me to let my feelings explode and… I'm scared of her and what I would do if I let my feelings take over."

Sun knelt down and picked up a handful of snow. Standing back up, he turned to face Ruby.

"Our emotions can provide an advantage, this is true… _Nix_."

The snow in Sun's hand floated up and morphed into a ball. Ruby saw Sun's teeth grit and his eyes narrow, his emotions clearly agitated, as she watched the snow begin to turn black, "But if we allow them to take control for too long…"

Sun then released the spell and the black snow collapsed into a pile on the ground, "Have you ever had a moment when you got so angry and your magic was at its highest?"

Ruby remembered the day that she was discovered by Ciel. She remembered the feeling that she felt when she saw Ciel was begging for her life.

"Yes…" Ruby said, "I hated what I felt that day, I hated what I was."

"Then that means that you understand the dangers of our emotions. If we allow our emotions to take over, then we become what the humans fear us to be. That is why Ozpin made it part of the rules to keep any Grimm from letting their emotions take over."

"How many rules are there?"

"Well… mainly the universal laws that everyone abides by, and then we have three that are specifically for Grimm."

"What are they?"

"We do not kill, for killing would only provide support to the idea that we are the monsters that humans have made us out to be. We do not use magic for any ill intent for the same reasons as no killing. And finally, we do not use Forbidden Magic, for most of the spells are torturous and excruciating. Failing to follow any of these laws without reasonable justification shall result in exile from Liberteria with all knowledge of Liberteria to be taken away from you."

"So that is why you took away Neptune's memory…"

"He's lucky I didn't take more than his memory," Sun said in a cold tone.

Releasing an exhale, Sun realized how cold it had gotten at the sight of his breath.

"We should get some sleep. I want to be across the bridge before noon tomorrow."

As Sun walked away from Ruby, she stared up at the sky and sighed, "Jaune… Coco… wherever you are. I hope that you're okay. I'm coming home."

Little did she knew just how close they were getting.

_January 22nd, 2041_

_6:12 AM_

Ruby opened her eyes to the feeling of the sun that was aimed directly at her eyes. But, the sun was blocked by the sight of Neo who was hovering over the brunette/redhead.

"Morning Neo…" Ruby groaned as she saw Sun was gone, "Where did Sun go?"

Neo pointed in a specific direction and the two saw Sun was walking back.

"The bridge seems to be clear. The only problem is that there is a military checkpoint just at the beginning of the bridge. We just have to make it to the other side… and we're done," Sun said.

"What can we expect security wise?"

"Some androids most likely as well as armed guards. If they know that we are Grimm, then they will try to raise the bridge to keep us in the US."

"So what are we planning?"

"I suggest… that we try and pass by. If we are discovered, we can improvise."

"Sun, are you sure that we can do that?"

"Look, we don't have many other options! We have the Agents on our heels and can't turn back now. This was the original plan and Scarlett was the planner…"

Sun realized his anger and calmed himself, "This has to work… it has to."

Ruby saw the same fear that Jaune felt when he thought that the plan was going to hell… and so she nodded, "Whatever happens, we can take care of it. The three of us…"

Sun chuckled, "Then let's ride."

_January 22nd, 2041_

_8:12 AM_

The trio drove up to the checkpoint and behind four other cars that were waiting as well.

"Well… here we go," Sun said, sounding as though he didn't believe that this was happening.

Looking to him, Ruby saw the smile on his face and that caused Ruby to smile as well. But as she was looking straight ahead, she saw another car pull up and saw the driver… he seemed very familiar, yet could not place her finger on it. Looking ahead, Ruby saw something was odd about the drivers in front of them.

There weren't any.

Looking back, she saw the driver was reaching for something in his car and realized who he was… he was one of the soldiers that watched over her in the facility.

"Sun," Ruby asked.

"I see it…"

Looking up ahead towards the checkpoint, the three saw the guards were approaching the vehicle, their weapons at their sides as well as their hands.

"Fuck… well, there goes the idea of doing this peacefully. Neo, you ready?"

Neo nodded and readied her baton, Ruby grabbed a receipt that was on the floor, and Sun simply said one word.

"Go."

The three jumped out of the car, Ruby sending the fire spell towards the officers that were approaching her side of the vehicle. The driver of the car jumped out and aimed his weapon at Sun, but got a baton to the nose by Neo, breaking it immediately.

"GET TO THE BRIDGE!"

One of the guards pulled their pistols out and fired a shot towards Ruby, but managed to shout "_Ferro_," as he fired.

The bullet stopped midair and she flung the bullet off of the bridge as she ran to the cop and sparred with him. Having police styled hand to hand from her father, Ruby easily took down the officer.

"My way is clear," Ruby turned to the others.

"Oh is it, Miss Rose?"

Ruby's body started shaking as she slowly turned to see Agent Callows.

"Hello again…"

Sun dodged a swipe of the baton by one of the border officers as he saw Ruby was stepping backward, shaking at the sight of Agent Callows.

"Shit, _Aer_!"

The officer who was about to take another go was sent flying into the cement wall. Taking this brief moment to try and get to Ruby, Sun was stopped by three shots that landed just in front of him. Turning towards the source, he saw Agent Washington was aiming his pistol at Sun.

"Where are you going," Washington said.

"NEO," Sun yelled.

As Neo grabbed her baton, she turned to Sun, who motioned towards Ruby and Agent Callows. Taking a step forward, Neo was stopped as Agent Texas appeared before her.

"Uh uh…" Texas said as she pulled out a baton.

Agent Texas charged at Neo, who had to be quick. But she gave a desperate look towards Ruby, who was standing there… helpless.

"All this time… all this trouble… I must say you have been quite the tricky one, Miss Rose," Agent Callows said as he approached Ruby.

"H-How did you…"

"Find you, my precious flower? Well, you have your dear friend Neptune to thank for that. His knowledge of Liberteria was gone, but your plans were not. Now then, why don't you let me whisk you away from this horrible place… and we can go home."

Ruby clenched her fists and threw a single punch at him, but was easily blocked and he punched her in the side, cracking her rib.

"Still trying to fight I see… I thought that I had taken care of that little phase of yours."

"_Aer_!"

Ruby's spell sent Tyrian back a few feet, but he was ready for it, as he braced for the attack.

"Ah yes, I do enjoy when you try to fight without being the monster that we have made you out to be."

Ruby clenched her fists until she felt her broken fingernails break the top layer of skin… feeling the blood wash down her palms, Ruby knew that their was only one spell she could use…

_'__Yes… let me take control… and I can make him go away for good…'_

Meanwhile, Sun jumped behind one of the decoy cars as Agent Washington fired more shots at him. Rolling out from his cover, Sun had the spell ready.

"_Tormenta_."

The gun in Washington's hand was whipped away and flung by Sun into the waters below.

"Damn… I liked that gun, guess we will have to do this the old fashioned way," Washington said as he readied himself.

As Washington and Sun engaged in hand to hand, Agent Texas kicked Neo into a car, who rolled back up and charged at Agent Texas. Texas swung at Neo, who used her agility and jumped onto the cement barricade before swiping down on Texas, who was quite vulnerable. The attack hit Agent Texas right in the cheek, as a rather large cut was made as a result.

"Nice one…" Agent Texas said as she stood back up.

Ruby tried to fight Tyrian, but he was easily beating her. Throwing a left jab, he countered with a swift uppercut and leg sweep that sent Ruby to the ground. Rolling away from him as he stomped where she fell, Ruby got up and smashed one of the car's windows next to her before sending the shards at Tyrian, who blocked his face and only got a few cuts from it.

"I do enjoy these little games, but my boss is getting rather impatient, Ruby. And if my boss is unhappy… you know what happens."

"Y…"

"Go ahead," Agent Callows said with smirk on his face.

Tears in her eyes, Ruby dropped her arms, "You will be unhappy…"

"Yes… exactly. I promise that if you get your little friends to stand down, then I will not be as angry as I was when you left," Agent Callows said as he took a step closer.

Ruby wanted to fight, her mind was screaming at her to fight… but her body was refusing as memories of what he did to her made her shudder… She didn't want to go back… but she knew what would happen if she said no.

"I—"

Before Ruby could answer, Agent Callows backed up as Neo had jumped between them. Two batons in hand, Neo started swinging madly at Agent Callows.

"Ah yes, Miss Politan, how could I forget your lovely face," Agent Callows said.

Neo only screamed as a response.

_'__She is going to die if we do not help her… what are you going to do?'_

_"__I… I want to fight…"_

_'__So why do you stay there like a frightened pup?'_

_"__I…"_

As she watched her friend fighting Callows, Ruby felt her hands begin to move and her legs begin to bend.

_'__That's it… DO IT!'_

As Neo swung one more time, Agent Callows quickly delivered a right hook to Neo's face. But as he readied himself, Ruby sent another air spell at him which he was unable to predict and was sent a few feet back.

Taking this moment, Ruby helped Neo up.

"We have to cross the bridge," Ruby said.

Neo nodded and looked to Sun who was holding his own yet losing the fight with Washington.

"Sun! We have to run!"

"I'm a bit busy!"

Looking and seeing Tyrian had gotten back up, Ruby quickly looked to the car that sat in between them and shouted, "_FERRO_!"

As the car shot towards the two, Sun and Washington jumped out of the way. As Washington tried to compose himself, he saw Neo run up and hit the nape of his neck before he could react, knocking him unconscious.

As Sun stood back up, they all heard sirens approaching… the local officials were getting reinforcements.

Sun looked to Ruby and Neo before looking towards the bridge. Ruby then said the same word that Jaune said in the subways of New York…

"RUN!"

"STOP THEM," Callows yelled to the reinforcements.

The gunshots were like rain… incredibly loud and close as the three sprinted towards the bridge. But as they were about to get through the checkpoint, a shot ran right through Sun's leg.

"AGH," Sun yelled as he fell to the ground. Quickly getting up, Sun limped behind a car as more shots flew past the standing Grimm.

"Sun," Ruby yelled as she and Neo ran back to Sun.

Hiding behind the car, Ruby and Neo saw the wound… it was bad.

"Fuck… you guys have to get across. Before—"

But it was too late… the reinforcements had already sprinted around their cover and the sound of clapping was all that was heard. Agent Callows walked in front of the three, a smile on his face as he looked at the remaining Grimm.

"I must say that I am impressed. You ALMOST made it. But you three should have known that this was the only way that this was going to end…"

Ruby looked down…

"It is over… Miss Rose."

Ruby closed her eyes as she could tell that Tyrian was reaching his hand towards her.

But then… a gunshot rang. It was not from the police… or any of the Agents… for they had all turned around to face the source. Ruby looked down the bridge to see five Canadian soldiers with their weapons drawn, ten Canadian Border Patrol officers, and eight individuals… two of which she knew just by seeing them.

"Elder David… he made it…" Sun chuckled in pain.

The man, Ruby assumed to be this Elder David, walked up with his hand extended, "I suggest that you all lower your weapons."

"Ugh Why do politics have to be so… disappointing…" Agent Callows said as he pulled his weapon out and aimed it at Elder David.

Firing a shot, Ruby watched Elder David stop the bullet midair before letting it fall to the ground.

"_Tormenta_."

Tyrian's weapon, along with all the other weapons that the officers were holding flew towards David as he flung them into the waters below.

"Try that again Callows, I do not think that the cameras caught all of it," David pointed behind himself to show citizens on the other side were filming on their phones, "I know who you are Callows, and I know who you work for. Go back and tell your boss that she failed, as have you."

As he realized he was out of options, Tyrian just gave a small chuckle, "Well played David… Well played…"

Turning around, Agent Callows saw Washington and Texas were already walking away, wounded and humiliated…

Looking down to the three, Callows simply smiled, "Well it seems that our playdate has come to an end… but I do hope that one of you will call and set up another day to play. I do love playing our games…"

Ruby looked away, tears in her eyes as Neo was about to try and hit him, but Sun stopped her, "It's what he wants… Let him go. His boss will take care of him…"

Tyrian's eye twitched as he motioned for the officers to leave, "Okay boys, we lost our chance… let them go."

As the forces left, Ruby and Neo helped Sun up as she heard shouting.

"RUBY!"

Looking back over the bridge, she saw Jaune and Coco running across the bridge as fast as they could. Tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, she looked to Sun who chuckled.

"Go on, I'll be fine."

Ruby let go of Sun as she ran to her friends. Laughing and crying was heard on both ends as the three met in the middle and they all joined in a group hug.

Jaune broke away first as he looked at Ruby for the first time in weeks, "H-How did…"

Deciding it would be best to not reveal it, Ruby said, "I'd rather not talk about it…"

Looking towards Coco, she saw Coco's eyes were Grimm.

"Coco! What? When did—"

"It's a long story… it's actually how I helped find out where you were."

"You knew," Jaune asked.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Coco said.

Jaune pulled Coco in for a hug, "I love you… a-as a friend."

"Did I happen to limp into something awkward," Sun asked as he and Neo walked towards them.

"Sun, you should get that wound checked on," Ruby said.

"Ah, it didn't went through and besides, Elder David's the best healer in Liberteria. I'll be fine."

"Guys, meet Sun. He is the one who orchestrated how to help me escape from a federal building that was interrogating Grimm. And Neo, who was the one who knew where I would be."

"Hey," Sun said.

Neo just waved.

"Jaune Arc," Jaune nodded.

"Coco Adel."

Hearing that last name, Sun's eyes widened, "Your grandmother helped so many of us… when my group and I arrived at the forest, we saw your sister… we buried her with honor before they could take the body away."

Coco nodded, but that is when Ruby realized something.

"Hold on, let me grab something," Ruby said as she ran back towards their truck.

"Sounds like you guys have been through hell…" Jaune said.

"You have no idea… but we made it. The fact that Ruby was smiling more than I could count… she's been through a lot, but had she's strong."

"That sounds like her…" Jaune said as he saw Ruby running back with something in her hands.

Coco squinted at what it was and when she realized what it was, she gasped.

Ruby ran up with Velvet's bag in her hands, "My bag was pretty worn out and Sun said that he got this from the crash… it did a good job for me, but it belongs to you. All of her stuff is still in it."

Coco grabbed the bag and felt tears form in her eyes as she looked at Ruby, "Thank you Ruby…"

At this moment, Elder David walked up, "Sun, what happened? Your last transmission said that there were five of you."

"Yes, well, Scarlett sacrificed himself to let the rest of us escape… and Neptune tried to attack us."

"I see… well even saving one is better than saving none. You must be Ruby Rose. Jaune talked quite a bit about you in the past."

Embarrassed, Jaune scratched the back of his head, "I-I don't know what you are talking about. Maybe once or twice, but—"

Jaune's bullshit meter being off the chart, Ruby saved him by just hugging him tightly. Jaune simply responded by returning the hug. Looking back towards the others, he saw Pyrrha was staring at them with a smile on her face. Giving her a nod, Pyrrha gave a nod of her own.

No words needed to be said… they both knew…

"Well, as touching as this reunion is… can we please do something about the air that is going through my gunshot wound," Sun asked.

"Oh yes," David said as he placed a hand on both sides, "_Sana_."

Removing his hands, the group saw Sun's wound had suddenly healed itself and Sun jumped up and down without any pain.

"Thanks Doc," Sun said.

"Now then, why don't we get out of here before they track us home," Elder David said.

_8:45 AM_

Ruby, Jaune, and Coco sat in the transport next to one another, across from them was Neo, Sun, and Pyrrha. Of course, there were other Grimm that were sitting next to them, but they were having their own conversations. Elder David hit the door to the truck and the transport began to move.

"Let's go home," Elder David said.

As they drove off, Ruby began being introduced to Coco's new friends, Kat and Flynt, Jaune introduced Ruby to Pyrrha, who was more than happy to meet her. Ruby then introduced Sun and Neo to the others as they went home.

Looking at Sun and Neo, Ruby was still crying as she felt it… it was a feeling that she had been craving for weeks… she felt as though she earned it… and she finally got it.


End file.
